Leaving Today
by BuriedHorizons
Summary: After a painful encounter Kagome leaves the Feudal Era, her heart smashed in pieces. After rekindled faith in a promise from years ago, she manages to make it back, only to discover that some promises can't afford to be broken. InuKag. Dark.
1. Leaving Today

Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is pretty obvious. But just so we're clear.

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Leaving Today.

Chapter 1.

Prologue.

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_From my spot in the bushes._

A dash of silver, a blur of red. Intermingling with dark, endless tresses of brown. Rough, calloused hands reached out for cold, softer ones. Barely brushing against each other, a rosy tinting of a pair of cheeks, and promises from long ago. Fingers lacing together in gentle, silent understanding. It was something that could never be sabotaged. Two lovers, embracing under the dull, silver, night sky. The stars hung only for them, the wishes they'd make upon those stars would stretch on until the end of time.

Even as my vision became blurry from stinging wet tears, I could see the passion in their gaze. A passion that had died too quickly, and had abruptly blazed back to life. As if someone had just lit a fire into their souls, sending them into perfect bliss. Enveloped in the warmth of their former love, they stood. They had no words to form because this was such a rare opportunity. Such a perfect getaway from the outside world. Had time stopped for them?

For one night they would stand, and simply stare, they would simply embrace. Reminiscing on late midnight strolls hand in hand. Remembering times of grief, but letting their joyous reunion overlap such cruel memories. A melancholy smile would touch her lips, so utterly sorrowful that it would tug at his heart strings. He would have no choice but to capture her further into his willing, loving arms. He would trap her there, just to remind her of what they had once shared. He would rest his cheek upon the crown of her head and she would allow him to carry her to all of the places she had always dreamed to go.

For just one night, she would linger there. For all of her chances for the real thing had died long ago. But he would not remind her of that, he would just hold her and caress every single space of her hardened heart. And she would let out a choked noise. But the moisture would never come from her smooth, lovely eyes. She was incapable of such things, but if she so desired he would cry for her, hard and agonizing. Just like the screaming that shook his very core for this woman.

Clawed hands would circle the small of her back, and he would fight back the urge to inhale her scent. The scent that she carried was probably foul, it would never be up to par like it once had been. But he would pay it no mind. He would let his nose wrinkle, but the wrinkling of his soul at her departure would be much stronger. His world would crumble in that instant, but he would not worry about it until morning touched the horizon. For now, he would just have her.

He would let his long, timid fingers tangle into her silky, pen straight hair. He would admire its silky texture and let the feel of it burn into his mind, so he could remember forever. He would never allow himself to forget such a beautiful treasure. His gem. _His._

_From my spot in the bushes. _

I could see her fingers dancing along his neck and trail their way up his strong jaw. He would seize his movements and let her have her way with him. Her delicate hand grasped onto his thick silver mane, knotting it with her fist. She tugged down on the silvery strands. He would take this as proper initiative. He let his head slowly dip down so that his forehead was lightly touching hers.

My own hands trembled at the action. When was it ever enough for me? Why would my eyes never fail me, why wouldn't it blind me to this damnable truth? I felt my bottom lip quiver in misery. My breath was shaky and I could see it disappear into the chilly, autumn air. I was invisible. They could never see me because they were too entranced, too enchanted by one another to think about anything else. When had I gotten to this point? Sneaking around to spy on a love so sacred? A love that would never be meant for me. The one that I had longed for.

The one that I hand longed for, held that cold, hard body. The one that I longed for held special eyes of love for only her. Those strong lovely lips of his only touched mine in my wildest dreams, only dared to speak those three little words in my subconscious. Because I was never destined to hear them in the waking world. He would only whisper those words into her ears, far away from civilization where they could just be one together. Perhaps in the darkest depths of hell they would mingle together in a dark union.

And I would still be here. For every kiss they shared, would be another tear that I would shed. Another scar on my heart, and another contusion to my soul.

So why hadn't I turned away? When his forehead touched hers, and how he let his eyes fall closed. Why hadn't I looked away when an angelic, beautiful smile surfaced from behind dead, chocolate orbs? As he kissed her eye lids I felt my body shiver. Such a beautifully, affectionate gesture. One that was so out of character for him. He'd rather die than to ever be so fond of me.

So why were my eyes not ripping away from this vile scene? The disgustingly, haunting vision of true love. I could feel the stress of the situation hitting me dead on. But I never moved.

_From my spot in the bushes._

As his lips crashed into hers so did the weight of the world. It crashed onto my shoulders. Their lips moved at an unnatural rhythm, hungry, desperate. It was like watching a movie that you couldn't bring yourself to look away from. The hand that should have been covering my eyes fell limply to my side, defeated. Is this what it was like to have your heart ripped from your very chest? To feel your lungs shrivel behind a cracked rib cage? To have no air to breathe again?

His grip had tightened on her priestess garbs, assuring there would be no escape from the sweet torture. He let kisses trail down her chin to the nape of her neck and I felt my stomach churn at the same pace. She made no noise, could not dare to move. She just rested her hand atop his head, urging his ministrations, awkwardly. He stopped his vicious assault and pulled her at arms length taking a long look at her. Her eyes traveled away from him onto the forest floor. She was embarrassed.

And I loathed her with every fiber of my being. Hated her so much I could feel the bile on my lips. The sour taste in my mouth thickened with raw, unadulterated, envy. My throat went paper dry, as I watched my love place a soft kiss on her forehead. His baritone voice echoed off of the trees and into the night to my unwilling ears.

"Kikyou. . .I've missed you."

That had been enough. My eyes snapped away from the scene. Standing up on wobbly legs, I tip toed out of the bushes away from the terrible sight. I took off like a bat out of hell. Sweeping around the trees of the thick forest I felt my heart thump silently in my chest. The aching numbness would probably never subside. Every time I would recall the events of this night, I knew my insides would be shredded all over again. Had it been worth it to watch them? I wanted to say yes, so I could see with my own eyes. To see the truth; that he would never be mine.

This just proved my theories. I had known all along, but to witness it is an entirely different pain. How long would I suffer with this? Be the silly girl he ran back to simply because he had obligations to an old duty? To be the dumb, thick headed girl that insisted to stay at his side even though I knew that I was never wanted to begin with. Hadn't he told me to go back to my own time years ago? I hadn't listened, because I was so hopelessly loyal to him. So in love with this troubled, heavyhearted, arrogant boy. I wanted to repair him, wanted my love for him to glisten out of every pore of my body, just to prove it. Wanted to hold him until he understood how much my bleeding heart yearned for just a kind word or brush of his shoulder against mine.

I felt my legs carry my through the dark fields. The grass cut deep into my skin as it swayed into my sprinting form. I could only pay attention to the heavy ache in my chest, and the sharp inability to breathe properly.

_From my spot in bushes._

I had witnessed true longing. I had seen what it was like to be broken. The will, the fire, the passion that I always held. I knew tonight it had been stomped down, reduced to the nothingness. Like the nothingness of my existence to that boy. To that boy I was just another annoyance, another hassle, a shard detector. Just a stepping stone to use as he wished so he could achieve his ultimate goal. To avenge his former love. The jewel really meant nothing to him anymore. It was just her, and the nasty way they had been betrayed.

I could not blame him for wanting to seek action. But I cursed his blindness to me. He always talked so bluntly and hurtful to me. As if it were just second nature. A few stinging words here, some curses and a few 'sits.' That's as far as he would allow me to go. The occasional blush, the rare moment when our fingers locked together. His tender side that he'd only allow to surface when his defenses were down is what made me cling to him like a magnet. It was so alluring. I always tried my best to crack the ice, to thaw it so he could be free. But in the end his icy heart had finally won the battle.

I would not try any longer.

I lost.

I would no longer be the obedient, blushing bitch, hanging on his every word, his every breath. He was the half demon dog, but I was the loyal old mutt refusing to leave his side because of my stubborn devotion. The intensity that I felt for this boy was dragging me too far down. And as I'm being dragged down, I knew I'd take the others with me. It would just hurt them.

The sympathetic, pitiful looks they would give me. It twisted the knife deeper into my wounds. I didn't bother to hold my tears any longer. I just felt them pour from behind pained lids, making my cheeks sticky and damp. In the back of my mind I wondered how long it would take to stop crying. I knew my heart and soul would always cry for this night. The night when I finally gave up on him.

It had never been his complete fault. It was mostly mine for being a masochist and sticking around where I knew I didn't belong. I could only wonder the purpose of the well opening for me. Was my only purpose to revive InuYasha? What if I had stayed longer than fate had planned? Was this some kind of sadistic form of karma?

My feet never gave out. Perhaps I had already died on my feet minutes ago?

_From my spot in the bushes._

My legs had just refused to stiffen, refused to let me see the horrors that only this era could provide for me now. To be rid of this boy that had killed me as I stood. To be away from that sickening undead priestess that had crushed my dreams time and time again. They would not refuse me this little act of selfishness.

I had finally found my way back to camp. I glided into the dim firelight. My vision took in the sleeping forms of my true friends. I admired them there, in the light of the flames, for it was their only escape from the pressures of this era. To be so vulnerable in their sleep, my heart clenched.

Perhaps I'd never see their faces again. That of a monk that had served more as my mentor and older brother, a demon slayer with a soul so divine I couldn't help but call her the very best friend I had ever had. My eyes stopped landing on their destination when they saw him. My fox demon child. The purest of them all, even with his scheming mind. How would the fox demon react when he found me gone the next morning? I shuddered, feeling guilty already. But it had to be done, for my sake, for their sake. And for InuYasha's sake. I couldn't continue to stray in a place that held no future for me.

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Whether forced or willingly.

I crept over to the fox child, stroking his dark rusty colored locks with my shaking hand. A silent snore was my only response. I brushed my lips over his forehead. "I'll never forget you, Shippou." I admitted to his sleeping form. As if he were having the sweetest dream, his lips upturned into a haunting smile. One that would be burned into my being until my dying day.

I took a reluctant step backward and whirled around to retrieve my hideous, yellow backpack. I left some snacks and some ramen out into the open. I had to leave before InuYasha came back with that peaceful, completed smile on his face. I couldn't bare to witness his completion after speaking to the undead woman. I would vomit, spewing the remains of my heart from my throat.

It was almost day break. I felt my damp bangs plaster to my forehead as I stared down at the ground. Was this really the right decision? To leave without saying goodbye? Or would goodbye just further complicate things? I couldn't imagine that this situation could get any more complicated. Would I be able to leave if I saw those wide, sad green eyes peering at me? Questioning me silently? Shippou. . .

I wouldn't be able to leave. But when an image of InuYasha trailing soft kisses down Kikyou's neck crossed my mind; I took a deep breath, and let my jaw set in determination. I'd leave today. That was that. I flung the bag over my shoulder and ran as fast as I could back to the direction of the well.

I would never look back. . .

_From my spot in the bushes._

_Something died in me that could never revive again._

_I could never be whole._

_Because they revealed that I could never have him._

-

I felt worn down. My limbs refused to comply but I had still managed to make it. To The Bone Eater's Well. The well that connected me to InuYasha. To this mythical world where not all fairy tales came true. I first approached this well a confused, modern girl.

I'm leaving as a confused, broken girl. Had time really done so much? I was always told that there was only one thing that could be promised in life. And that was death. We're promised nothing more. But I'd have to disagree. Time would always be here. Could it ever run out? Even when we die time will still move on.

I felt like my time was dwindling. My heart was in shambles. But I knew time wouldn't stop for me. It wouldn't stop long enough for me to repair myself, it would keep moving forward. So agonizing, so slowly. It was cruel. Time had allowed me to discover this era full of broken possibilities. Was I really so delusional? I was guaranteed time, but not here. Not with these people. And not with the one I wanted.

I rested my palm against the cool, stone surface of the dry well. So many things played back into my mind. Sad moments, happy moments, terrifying moments. But out of all of them, this would be something I would always remember. The one thing that I'd wish to forget; I would live with forever. Pure, untamed loss. The loss of my naïve nature, the loss of everything I was brought up to be.

The loss of my very self.

I braced myself as I made a move to throw myself into the portal. One last time. All it would take was one more time to be done with this world, to be done with images of his lips hovering above hers. One last time to climb up the ladder to my familiar home and cry myself to sleep. To fall deeper into this lovesick coma that I couldn't possibly wake up from.

I closed my eyes, taking one long breath. It would be now. Or it would be never. I jumped in.

And had not landed. My eyes shot open in alarm. I felt a rough hand grasping at the back of my collar. Oh god. I tried not to weep in misery. "Wench! What the hell do you think you're doing now?" Came an angry snarl from above me.

That voice was the reason for my early death. I felt myself being pulled up and out of the well effortlessly. I was placed onto the forest floor, back to where I had started. I could only guess how lifeless my eyes were. "Do you know how long I've been following your ass?"

I sighed and turned to face the disgruntled boy. "InuYasha." I said weakly. "What do you want?"

He blinked, the anger quickly disappearing from his face. "What do I want?" He mocked using a very sorry impression of my voice. Normally I would have glared. I did nothing but look down at the swooning blades of endless green grass. It was silent then. I could feel his eyes on me, could hear his breath catch in his throat. I could only hear the breeze, and the dull thump of my heart through my ears.

"Kagome. Why did you run all the way here?" His voice was soft now, foreign from its usually gruff tone. "By yourself? You could have asked me to take you home."

"No I couldn't have." I croaked pathetically. "You weren't there."

I saw him gulp and his eyes widened. "Kagome. . ." He trailed off. His ears drooped probably from guilt. I winced. It was all my fault he had to feel guilty for loving her. How awful was I? He knew that I had been watching now.

"It's okay." I told him, and I truly meant it this time. "You don't have to feel bad about it." I approached him now and he made no move to cut me off. He just let his shocking gold orbs blaze into my own. I tried to pour out my heart to him with one look, tried to tell him all of the things that I had on my mind. He was also trying to tell me something. I couldn't quite make out the message, It was probably something I didn't want to figure out. I grimaced inwardly. "You can do it more freely now. Because I. . ." I swallowed back the lump that was itching in my throat.

He continued to stare at me, eyes narrowed brows knitted together. His silver strands flew with the wind, dancing in perfect harmony. "Why are you saying this?" He finally asked, his voice came out strained.

"Because I'm leaving today."

"When do you want me to come back for you?" His ear twitched, and I wondered if Kikyou ever got to feel the velvety soft appendages between her fingers. It would be a special gift if she had. I finally reached him and I let my arms fall around his waist. Without questioning the action he quickly wrapped himself around me, holding me to his chest. How could he hold me this way when he had just been holding Kikyou hours ago? I refused to let the tears spill in front of him.

Boldly I let my hands travel up his strong abs, to his chest. I rested them there and he held me, refusing to meet my eyes. I knew this was probably very strained for him. So I acted quickly. I fingered the rosary that hung limply around his neck. I toyed with them, they clanked together almost inaudibly. "Kagome?" I could feel the rapid rise and fall of his chest pick up in speed. His heart hammered out of control against his skin and I wondered why.

I swept his thick, silver hair over his shoulder, letting myself run my hands through it. He shivered under my touch. I knew he was disgusted. I lifted the rosary from his head and away from his hair so it wouldn't snag. The action was so quick that not even his half demon speed could have saw it coming. "W-what?" He stammered not really making sense. I let the beads fall onto the grass, carelessly forgotten. There was a surprising, bruised look in his eyes. His ears fell again. He let his face drop to the fallen beads. "Why would you do that?" He shouted now, anger evident in his handsome face.

"InuYasha. You don't have to worry about coming to get me anymore." I whispered, releasing him. I took a shaky step back and he stepped forward. We continued this until the back of my knees hit the rim of the well. He was in my face now looking at me as if my eyes could answer his inner questions and conflicts.

"And why the fuck not?" He demanded. "Don't tell me you have more of those stupid test things to take! God damn it! We have to look for more shards! You can't just keep waltzing off on your merry way whenever you please!"

My hand fell to the bottle containing the jewel shards. I had completely forgotten about them. I took them off and offered them to him. "Take them. I don't have any use for them anymore."

"What the fuck?" He snarled out, confused. He took them and shoved them into his robes. "I don't get what you're doing Kagome. But I don't fucking like it."

"InuYasha. I'm not coming back anymore. I'm going to my world and I'm not ever coming back." I said in a haste. My mouth had moved so quickly I couldn't even process my own words. He was silent now, so incredibly silent. His eyes still bore into mine, pissed beyond all doubt. I thought I saw them flash red for a moment.

"What?" His brow twitched and his fist clenched at his side. "You don't mean that. . ." I could see his teeth gritting together his fang protruded from his lower lip, biting into it. Drawing blood.

"I'm so sorry InuYasha." I finally let my tears fall. "I can't do it anymore. I tried. But it's too much. I wanted to remain here with you. . .I wanted you to want me with you. But I know now that it's impossible. I saw. . ." I let my sentence die and he knew what I was talking about. "I know what I saw." I spoke again, this time breathlessly.

"Kagome. . ." I knew he could say nothing. I expected him to say nothing.

"When I leave you won't have to feel guilty anymore. It won't be a secret. You'll never have to sneak around and you'll never have to explain yourself to anyone. Consider it a present." I said, offering him a small smile. "It's the last thing I can give to you."

"Don't." He shook his head. "Just wait a second. You're getting too ahead of yourself here, wench. If you could just let me explain I-"

I cut him off. "You don't have to explain anything. I understand. I'm not stupid."

"I have no clue what you're fucking saying!" He howled finally. He stepped forward and captured my wrist in his hand. I cringed at the pressure. I prayed he didn't slip and snap it in half. "What did you see?"

I snorted. "I'm not even going to answer that. I saw what you were doing!" His grip immediately loosened. "And it makes me sick!"

"I. . .Kagome?" His hand fell away from my wrist. His face was etched in misery and his golden eyes fell in sync with his ears. "What you saw? It disgusted you?" He asked as if it weren't obvious.

It made the fury leak out of me in a frenzy. "Of course it did! How couldn't it? Are you that dense?" I shoved him away from me and he didn't even falter for a second. He just stood rooted in the same spot, eyes downcast and ears drooped like a lost, wounded animal.

"I never thought you could say that to me." He said solemnly.

"Well what do you think? That it would be a good thing for me to see? That it wouldn't hurt me? I'm sorry InuYasha." I turned away from him leaning over the well. "I've made up my mind that this is definitely for the best."

"You're going to listen to me first!" He jerked me towards him, spinning me around to look into my eyes. "What you saw. . .I'm sorry Kagome. I know you must hate me. . .but I needed to do it. I had to do it. . .There was nothing else I could do. It meant a lot to me. . .I don't want to dishonor you. . .but." His cheeks burned with a bright shade of crimson. "I don't know how else to do it."

Now I was furious. How dare he say this to my face? Blinking back tears I stepped away from him, mortified. "Sometimes InuYasha. I don't even know how I fell in love with you." I admitted harshly, every syllable dripped with venom. Before he could respond I was jumping into the depths of the well, letting a familiar blue light caress my broken heart. I could swear I heard someone wailing before I touched down in the Modern Era. Funny. It could have been my own heart wailing. I sank to my knees, clutching at my chest. My body quaked unnaturally.

But it didn't matter.

I left today. Never to return.

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**Note**: Hmm. How odd. :)

This is the rewrite for Leaving Today. The original oneshot will be posted elsewhere so I won't have to lose my older style. I'm sorry for the sudden change everyone. But I felt like it had to be done. It was driving me nuts. And now it'll actually fit into my story and the upcoming chapters. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the orginal oneshot. I really appreciate this.


	2. Gone

**Note:** Before I get started, I just want to say thanks to the short few who reviewed 'Leaving Today' as the oneshot. After tons of consideration and planning. I've finally decided to make this into something more. There was a review about InuYasha and his rosary. Most often InuYasha hates those silly beads. So why was he bothered about Kagome ripping them away? I'm not sure the exact reason why I wrote it that way so long ago. But the only thing I can come up with is shock. Shock of suddenly losing something you're familiar with whether you hate it or love it. And probably Kagome's attitude and mood while she was doing it. InuYasha definitely knew something was up. But we'll get to this in later chapters. I won't give anything away. This story will always be in Kagome's POV unless I see it unfit at a certain angle.

Also note that before this oneshot had a painfully low rating. Now it's at its peak. I rated this story M, for a number of reasons. So if you're offended by content that you wouldn't deem child worthy – turn back now. InuYasha's foul mouthing, Miroku's lecherous nature, and a few gory, limey moments. You've been WARNED. And anyone that may get angry over such things will be given the cold shoulder of doom.

Hope you all stick around for the ride, and thanks for reading. I'll shut up now and get on with it.

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**L**eaving **T**oday.

**C**hapter 2.

**G**one.

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**I** left that day. Three years ago, at the prime of our journey for the Jewel of Four Souls. I left abruptly in the middle of our search for a most ominous being. The most evil, maniacal, blood lusting creature in both era's; the half demon, Naraku. And while I had the knowledge of the dangers they would all face without me. I allowed myself this one little act of selfishness. I would return home and never look back. No matter how many jewel shards I had yet to find, and no matter how long they've searched for Naraku but to no avail. Because I was there for far too long. I had always went to that strange era with my heart completely out into the open. It was so vulnerable for attack that I was paralyzed when InuYasha finally devoured it whole.

I could never have my heart back again. And through the years as I traveled with my friends and the only boy I ever loved. I knew it had to end. The times that I shared with that boy – the boy that I cherished more than anything in this entire existence – are the sweetest memories anyone could ever have. But as sweet as they might be they have always haunted me. . .

I didn't just leave the Feudal Era that day. I left completely. My soul was left with InuYasha and my former friends. The last images of them were burned into my mind. The light of a fire dancing across their slumbering features on a pale moon night. How could I forget? I was dead. All I carried around was a useless shell. A mind that had gotten use to performing tasks on auto pilot. It was expected of me these days. I would do what I had to do, but I never truly returned from that time. I never truly returned from the spot where I watched two lovers sharing a kiss on a crisp, autumn night.

I had shattered. My sanity had just been hanging by the tiniest of threads. So easy, so breakable. I knew laying my heart out in front of a boy that was so eager to honor a promise to another was a mistake. I had already figured long ago that it would come to such a dramatic end. I knew I would be broken the day I promised that boy my company. And the day he professed his affections for a dead woman.

But what hurt the very most was that even though I wanted to remain at home. I couldn't help but feel it was the last straw when he never returned for me. Never bothered to pop in and see if I was even still alive. Didn't even care enough of my intentions. But the thing that bothers me the most is that he never came back just to even allow me to see that he was still alive. That those precious lungs still held air. There was no indication that any of them were still alive. So for how long would I be tormented with this thought? I could no longer return on my own free will for I had handed over the shards. I would never know if the fate of my friends was that of sorrow and death or a fate of happy memories in perfect harmony with one another.

I would never get to see.

He was never coming back for me He would never come jumping into my window to check on me ever again. I will no longer wake up to find large foot prints leading towards the end of my bed. I would never watch the stars with this boy again. And I would never make him feel accepted and wanted the way he should have been. I'm in love with a fleeting dream. One I couldn't be waken from but couldn't control either. The most beautiful dream was my nightmare. I'm still screaming to these deaf walls of an empty rib cage.

Everything I once had inside of me.

Is _gone_.

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"**S**o Higurashi. How does it feel to be valedictorian? Who would have thought after all of those times when illness struck that you'd be number one in the entire class?"

"Oh well, Houjo. I tried my best. You're still second on the list though. You should be proud of yourself. I actually think you deserve it more than I do." Was the only reply I could manage. The boy had deserved it more than I did. After all. He was still alive.

"Nonsense. You gave it your all. I'm happy that we're finally graduating. . .together." He admitted shyly. I was taken back for several seconds. Houjo was always so formal with me. These were bold words for him. For a split second I felt my cheeks burn. The reaction was unfamiliar and awkward. I couldn't remember the last time I actually blushed. I couldn't remember anything at all really. I always broke out in a smile. It was my only defense. My fire had burned out.

"So I'll see you then? I know your friends are waiting for you. . ." He trailed off looking extremely nervous. Ah, that was the Houjo I remembered; witnessing an overly brash Houjo had sort of frazzled me.

"Yeah. . .like always." I rolled my eyes at their antics. Always harping over me like mother hens. Always interfering in my business. The trio had a knack for grating my nerves at the most critical times. "I'll see you later Houjo. Congratulations." I called to over my shoulder, giving a half halfhearted wave. It's all I could really give him. He returned the slight gesture but with more enthusiasm than I expected.

"Over here Kagome!" Eri was beckoning me from the other side of the parking lot. I still couldn't believe that I actually made it here alive. Eri had just gotten her license and had offered me a ride to school. I wish that I had felt fear when she violated every single traffic law known to the system. All I could do was shrug it off. If it would have been three years ago I would have gladly french kissed the pavement in appreciation for land.

"Hey, Eri." I finally called back, dragging myself over to her new car. It wasn't the greatest thing to ever grace the chaotic Tokyo traffic. But it was modest enough for someone like Eri. "Sorry it took so long. I just ran into Houjo."

She squealed with delight as I predicted she would. I immediately went aloof as she started chattering about possible future dates with the boy. I really had no desire to do so. "Please Eri. You know I'm not interested in him. I never was within the few years of our schooling together. Why would I start now?"

"Oh come on Kagome! We're graduating and you still haven't had a proper date! Not since that one time when we were like 15! Holy hells bells."

"Pff! Not everyone is a machine like you. You go out with a different guy every single weekend!" I gave her a deadpan look as I slid into the door of her little car. I fastened my seat belt. I might have been without a soul but I certainly wasn't stupid. If I was feeling frisky enough I might even grasp onto the interior. I made a small mental note to never accompany Eri in a moving vehicle until she had more practice. But being the morning sloth that I had become I had graciously accepted an offer to be driven to school.

"Not a machine Kagome. Just curious."

"Well, after a week your excuses will be faulty. You'll no longer be able to blame it on being a hormonal school girl. Oh wait. Scratch that. That's the excuse I use FOR you."

She gave me a wounded look and quickly grinned. "Not my fault everyone loves me. And with good reason! I mean look at me."

"Lovely." I snorted, directing my gaze to the passing scenery. "Who is it this weekend?"

"No one important really. Just some guy I met from the rival school in the east. Met at a local party. You should scope out some hotties with me next time around. You made excuses all year. But you know I can't believe you every time you say you need to stay home and scoop out Buyo's liter box. I mean how much damage can one little cat do?"

"You'd be surprised." Especially with all of the mummified demon hands I'd been feeding the fat monster. He was a force to be reckoned with.

"Oh please. You're not fooling anyone. It's that two-timing, arrogant, violent boyfriend of yours! Well now it would be ex-boyfriend. But still everyone can totally see that you're hung up."

"I am NOT hung up!" I shouted in protest. Feeling some of the fire drip out of my veins. That frustrating boy always knew how to arouse my inner ferociousness. Even the mention of him.

"Yeah right." She scuffed, running a stop light. "When you dumped him you completely lost it! And you're still on about him aren't you?"

"Not likely." I muttered, unhappy at the sudden change of topic. I was still incredibly touchy with the whole ordeal. But since Eri and the rest of my friends could only be given so much information I had to play it cool. "He's dead news!" I winced at my own statement. I really hoped that wasn't some pun that I accidentally made.

"Then come scope out some of the local boys with us! It'll be fun!"

"Um, no thanks. See. . .I was planning to water my garden that day!" I quickly mumbled.

"Kagome, you don't even have a garden." Eri sighed, exasperated. "It's okay Kagome. You don't have to talk about it. And if you don't want to go you know you don't have to make excuses for me. I understand." She gave my hand a soft, reassuring pat. I exhaled suddenly relieved. It's not that I didn't want to go out with my friends. But the thought of 'scoping out hotties' was enough to push me over the edge. The act of moving on was more terrifying than I could ever imagine. There was a reason that I was stuck. I was far too stubborn to leave the situation alone. But in the end the results would always be the same. I got tangled up in the deadly game of unrequited love. I had already written my final chapter. I just didn't accept the outcome. I was dreaming for more. More that would never come without interference. I would never measure up to a dead priestess and promises from long ago.

Eri prattled on about random gossip. I pretended to be interested but I just wanted to go home and sulk for awhile. It helped me regroup. If I didn't reflect every once in awhile I would go mad. It was hard to really tell anyone how I felt, and it was even harder to tell anyone about my situation without someone wanting to conspire against me and throw me in an asylum. All of my inner conflict and traumatizing love life was mostly kept under wraps. I would occasionally come to my mama for advice but even she had difficulty telling me exactly what was on her mind. Her usual response no matter what the situation was "just follow your heart." It was exquisite advice to give anyone. But it left me unsatisfied. But I couldn't blame her. She always supported me, always loved me like no other. The faith that she had in my decisions was always nothing more than overwhelming.

I wished I could be exactly like her. So understanding, so eager to have faith in people. Maybe I was like that in the past. Always willing to give a helping hand, always compassionate and empathetic. But I just couldn't do it any longer. Now that I saw the world for what it really was. It seemed like everything offered to me always had some type of hidden motive. I guess Psychological egoism was the right theory to believe in. We're all just selfish creatures and selflessness really never existed. I was one of the most selfish people in the entire world. Fleeing from my friends when my heart was weak. It was just weakness on my part. I should have stayed, should have tried to make it work. But how could I? Every part of my heart had been ripped out, where I was standing that night.

And I wish I could say I've tried to put the pieces back together. But I'd be lying to myself. I never tried to repair it, because as far as I see it. That was my last chance. I damaged myself beyond all recognizable repair. And now I had to suffer with my past decisions. InuYasha was not coming back, and I would never see my beloved friends again.

After a brief goodbye I found myself face to face with my light magenta colored wallpaper. Sitting on my bed I let my head fall to my palm. This was all that was left of me as I sat, eyes unfocused, off into a different world.

* * *

"**O**h Kagome. You're getting so many acceptance letters in the mail." Mama was at it bright and early, dropping a pile of envelopes onto the table in front of me. I could see her soft features twitching with anticipation. I couldn't help but give her a genuine smile. I ran my finger along the envelope on top of the pile. Tokyo U. My brows knitted together in confusion. Had I really got accepted? I should have been excited. But I could feel the dread ripping through me, at my mother's proud gleam.

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Mama. From now on, why don't you open some of these for me?" It would make her a lot happier to see these, than myself. She gave me a small smile.

"But dear, it's your mail. Not mine." Though I saw her glancing longingly at the pile of letters stacked in front of me. I tried not to be amused at her eagerness. But I failed miserably. I let out a small foreign chuckle. And Mama gave me an 'awed' expression. It was rare for me to give in and just laugh anymore.

"It's okay Mama, if you want to open some. Be my guest! Heck, maybe I can even bribe you into going in my place?" I waggled my eyebrows at her, and she laughed wholeheartedly.

"I'm not sure if that would go along well." She admitted.

"Pff. With the way you look, nobody would be able to tell the difference between the two of us!" I teased, showering her with flattery. My mom blushed at my proposition. And bemusedly rolled her eyes.

"Flattery will get you every where dear."

"I know. Is it working?" I laughed at her firm look. And she finally relented laughing along with me. "But I mean it. With so many letters coming in the mail, it would be a load off of me for you to open some." I lied.

She gave me an unsure look before finally nodding. Trying to hide her excitement she picked up the stack of letters and being tearing through them. "If you insist." She muttered, reading the letters with wide eyes. I shook my head at her and smiled to myself. That's one thing about the Feudal Era that I didn't miss. Being away from my mom.

After I jumped through the well that final day, she was there with open arms. That was the first time in along time that she had rocked me to sleep with tears pouring out of every direction. I had vowed that it would be the last. I may refuse to move on, I may still be heartbroken, but I will never lose myself like that again. The look of helpless agony in my mama's eyes when choked sobs emitted from my throat is an image I never wanted to see again.

The door went flying open, and foot steps pounded into the kitchen. "Hey sis!"

"Hey twerp." I called back to Souta. The little bugger was hardly a twerp though. He was growing so tall, so quickly. He was almost a fit young man.

"What did you make me for breakfast?" He joked, rubbing his stomach.

"That's my line." I huffed, slinking back into the chair. He feigned heart break for a second, holding his chest as if he couldn't breathe.

"But I thought you loved me."

"When you're not being annoying." I assured him patting him on his forearm. I was rewarded with a pink tongue sticking out between his lips. I returned the action much to his displeasure. "And kami knows that's all the time!"

"Now now." Mama spoke up, still off in fantasy land with my letters. We finally settled and had a quick breakfast. Souta of course piled the food into his mouth with the determination of a starving man. Somehow seeing him so ill mannered reminded me a lot of InuYasha. I sweat dropped as he shoved his face into the plate, shoveling food into his mouth with a chopstick.

Mama scolded him for a brief minute and I decided to go out and look into the gloomy depths of the well. There was no harm in trying right? I placed a light jacket over my arms, and trudged off to the well house. My mother and brother knew this was a daily ritual for me, and said nothing about my sudden absence. Gloomily, I lifted the thick plank off of the hook that held the door in place. It was simply for safety measures. Of course we couldn't ward off several monstrous demons. But it would give us time and some proper warning in case any stray demons might happened to make it through.

I slid the door open mindful of the loud noises it could make. The well house was very old. I slipped in, stalking down the rickety wooden steps. Once I was down far enough I clicked on my flash light. I ran a hand along the ancient surface of the well. It was a lot different looking in this time. It had mostly been eaten away by age. The cracks were large, spreading in every which direction. After fumbling with my flash light and the ladder that had been put there years ago. I started slowly descending the ladder, onto the floor of the dry well. Nothing happened. Which was the usual reaction. My heart sank in disappointment.

I sat down there for a good hour. Hoping that maybe if I was determined enough I could make it work. It remained the exact same. Of course it was the same. What could have changed in one short day to make it work? It was as unrelenting as ever.

I sighed finally climbing out. What did I expect? I was already gone.

* * *

"**C**ome on Kagome!" The cheery voice bristled from the other line. Yuka had called to aggravate me again. I rolled my eyes, trying to keep a straight face. She did this every weekend hoping I would crack under pressure. "I mean, it's not like you have to marry anyone! Just come with us! This may be our last shot to all hang out together. Ayumi is going to the states soon!" She ranted, using a persuasive tone.

"Alright, alright!" I griped. The statement about Ayumi had been enough to motivate me. Ayumi was going to move to America and it would be along time before I could see her again. I figured I might as well make our last week together somewhat memorable. "But you guys are picking me up. And for the love of all of the gods controlling the heavens, don't let Eri drive!" I shouted hanging up on my dear old friend.

After a usual evening with my family the three of my friends came bursting through the door without any warning whatsoever. She startled my mom so badly she prepared to strike with a spatula. I couldn't help but sweat drop as they balked and begged for forgiveness.

"Hurry up Kagome!" Ayumi called from the door way. "We're already behind." She grabbed my jacket and threw it at me carelessly. I grunted and quickly threw it over me. They all but dragged me to Ayumi's car, feeding me the latest gossip. I was shocked to hear about the gossip that had just surfaced over night. Eri had just talked my ear off yesterday after school. I shook my head. They would probably never change.

"So what will you make me suffer with this weekend?"

"Jeez, Kagome. You act like we're dragging you to a funeral." Yuka snorted, peeling out and away from the Shrine. Yuka didn't drive much better than Eri, but at least when she speeded, she speeded on the proper side of the street.

"Sure feels like it." I muttered darkly. Eri rolled her eyes, and giggled at me. Just like she always did.

"I heard there's some great looking college boys who are attending the party. Mm. I'd love to sink my teeth into some of them." Eri had that dreamy far off look in her eyes and I knew there was no turning back. I groaned wondering how I would manage to make it out of this in one piece.

All of a sudden I felt the car vibrating underneath my feet. I seized all movements and concentrated on the vibrations. I thought nothing of it at first until I finally realized that it wasn't the car doing it. It was the ground. Everyone in the car froze. Yuka slammed on the breaks. In the distance I saw the shrine on the top of the hill. And before we knew what was happening the strongest light I had ever witnessed filled every one of my senses. I clasped my eyes tightly from the invasion. They stung and burn, because even though I shut them tightly I could still see the light from behind flimsy lids. My friends were screaming. I could not.

The light finally subsided and I was already out of the car. My friends still shell shocked made a move to follow me out. "Stay here!" I barked back at them. "You guys go on ahead, and I'll figure out what that was."

"But Kagome-"

"Go. It's fine. It has happened before." I lied, sending them off. I watched them speed away in a frenzy. Obviously puzzled and scared of what they had just witnessed. I raced up the stairs to find my family standing outside, in front of the well house. . .which was now in shambles.

My eyes narrowed in confusion. They all turned to me as if I could answer their unasked questions. All I could do was stare at the well and the debris from the sudden explosion. "What _happened_?" I whispered more to myself than my family.

"I don't know dear. We were all inside and we heard this loud noise and all of this light came creeping through the window. Almost blinding." Mama whispered, still in a daze. I could still see the little flashing lights blurring my gaze. I blinked it away and took a shaky step to the obliterated well house.

"Be careful in there, Kagome!" My grandfather scolded. "That looked serious."

I nodded not really listening to him. I moved as if I were in a trance towards the unhoused well. I touched the lip of the well and gripped the sides nervously. I peered in through the well and saw nothing but endless darkness. I squinted my eyes to see anything that I might have missed before. "I'm going down okay? Souta, please hand me that flash light." He nodded and quickly darted off to retrieve it. I lowered myself down the ladder and landed with a sharp 'thud' as soon as I hit the bottom. I groped around but found nothing out of the ordinary. Just some old dirt and gravel. What was going on in Feudal Japan?

Souta came back, blocking the moon light with his head. "Here you go sis, heads up." He called before dropping the flash light down. It landed by my feet and I turned it on. I looked around, inspecting the ancient well. Everything was in tact just as it always had been. My flash light stopped at a tiny piece of wood sticking out of the dirt. My eyes scanned over it, and being the curious thing I am I reached to pull it out. It wouldn't budge. It was not just a piece of wood. I laid the flash light down and started digging furiously with my hands and fingernails. I felt the dirt becoming lodged into them and I winced. I wasn't really getting anywhere. Finally the piece of wood was getting larger. It looked like a tip of an object.

"Gramps. Get the shovel please?" I called up to him. He quickly lowered it down to me, and I started digging around the object. I pulled it up, and already knew what it was. I yanked the object up and griped it tightly. It was a bow. I ran my finger along it. It wasn't just any bow. It had been Kikyou's bow. My heart thumped against my chest, unruly. But even more surprising was the tiny piece of ancient paper attached to it with a hair coil. A hair coil that had belonged to Kikyou. I quickly detached the paper from the bow and opened it. The symbols were messy and hard to read but I was pretty sure it translated into the word '**gone**.' What did that mean? And why would Kikyou's bow be buried into the well? "What the hell?" I felt an eerie feeling creep into my body. Something was very wrong.

* * *

**I** had been digging for hours. To see if there were anymore surprises. Slamming the shovel back down into the dirt I felt it connect with something hard. It made a sharp 'clang' sound. I aimed my flash light at the interruption. Digging more with my hands and fingers I felt a smooth round object buried deep into the dirt. I managed to scoop it out with the shovel. It was just a round, ball like object. I shined my flash light over it, and wished I hadn't.

I gingerly touched the top of it. My hand flinched away, my skin sizzling. And right then I knew exactly what it was. Nudging the ball like object with my flash light I cringed, terrified.

It was indeed the Jewel of Four Souls.

But one thing that would never escape my memories was the way it lightly shined in the night. It no longer thrived with life, illuminating with fuchsia.

I used my shirt to pick it up and to wipe off the dirt. And I watched it fall limply as it burnt a hole right through the material. My eyes widened twice their size because it wasn't dirty. Not one spec of dirt covered the thing.

The Shikon Jewel was black. And it dripped and screamed **malice**.


	3. Help

* * *

**L**eaving **T**oday.

**C**hapter 3.

**H**elp.

* * *

"**G**ramps! Are you still around?" I shouted up into the evening air. Knowing the old man he'd still be lurking around, paranoid by the sudden string of events. Immediately his head blocked my view of the moon.

"I'm here, Kagome." He whispered into the depths of the darkness. "What do you need? Everyone has gone back to bed."

"I need you to help me up." I admitted finally. I scooped up the tainted jewel into the shovel and watched it roll around with no boundaries to prevent it from falling. "I have something down here that will burn your flesh on contact. Do you know of anything I can keep it in?"

"Who has brought such a thing here?" His old, tired eyes widened glowing down at me. He shook his head in dismay, grumbling over demons and strange time portals. He was suddenly jerked out of my view and I could only assume he had sauntered off to find something to hold the jewel. I sighed, relieved that my grandfather lingered long enough to help me out of here.

I lifted up the ancient paper in front of my eyes. The message although effective enough to keep me digging, had been very disturbing. I would have Gramps look over the symbols to see if I had missed anything. I was pretty sure the first few symbols meant 'Gone.' But the last few were foreign, almost as if it were in an entirely different language. The writing was so sloppy it could have passed for a child's.

Finally Gramps' head fell back into view. "I'm throwing down this container. It should be thick enough to hold such a thing." He said before dropping it down to me. "Be careful girl. Don't let it touch you."

"Thanks." I called back. Catching the glass container I popped it open and let the jewel roll into it. It didn't burn. . .yet. I could only imagine the container would eventually give and burst into several shards of glass. I put the cap back over it and held it at my side. It was already warm to the touch. I just hoped it lasted long enough to get it out of the well and observe it without catching fire or bursting. I wasn't sure which to expect first.

I gathered up the bow, the hair coil, and placed the ancient paper into my pocket. Somebody had sent me all of these things for a reason, so I'd make sure they'd be kept safe. Fighting with the ladder and the stuff in my hands I tried not to fall backwards. As soon as I was in reaching distance, Gramps took hold of the bow and with his free hand helped me out of the well. I breathed out, feeling exhausted all of a sudden.

"What was this doing down there?" Gramps mused out loud. He studied the bow suspiciously and shrugged. He let his gaze fall to the container which confined the corrupt jewel. "May I?" He asked, making a gesture towards it. I fought the urge to bat his hand away and tell him no, fearing for his safety. But I knew he'd be okay, he was used to these sort of things. Or at least he tried to be. I reluctantly handed him the container.

As soon as the hot glass touched his old, frail skin, he winced. "The inexplicable evil!" He moaned, and swayed chanting a few words to it. It almost sounded like a silent prayer. I let him continue his chanting as I lead us both back into the shrine. I didn't want Gramps to catch a chill out in the stinging, winter winds. Once inside I looked down at my hands and clothes. I looked a fright, no doubt about it. I was then familiar with the dirt embedded underneath my nails. I had dug so hard, and fast that I didn't notice the blood seeping out from under them. Dang it.

I placed the bow onto the table, and watched my grandfather flop down in the chair, still chanting over the container which housed the evil orb. I let myself drift over towards the sink to wash off the grim, and blood. I scrubbed myself with dish washing liquid having nothing else available in the kitchen. I quickly towel dried my hands and took a seat across from my mumbling grandfather.

"Say Gramps. . .I hate to interrupt. But I was wondering if you could translate something for me?" I asked, suddenly remembering the ancient paper. I slipped it out of my pocket and laid it on the table. He seized his prayers and set the Sacred Jewel on the surface, container and all. I slid the paper over to him with the pad of my index finger and he gently picked it up. He smoothed out the wrinkles in the paper and I watched his face in mute fascination. My grandfather always had the habit of being so expressive with his emotions. His old wrinkled brows furrowed together in concentration. He was moving his lips but no audible sound left them.

"It says 'gone' right?" I inquired as the silence thickened.

"Where did you find this, girl?" Gramps croaked, looking weary again.

"It was attached to the bow." I offered compliantly. I continued to watch his reactions letting him decode the odd language.

"This is ancient writing." He droned. "Of course it's Japanese, but not that of which we know it. Not only that, but whomever wrote this has pretty sorry penmanship!"

"So you have no clue what it says?" I gave him a deadpan look and he humphed crossing his arms over his garbs, clearly offended.

"Such disrespect! You're correct, it does say 'gone' but that's not merely all it says. It's a phrase. Multiple phrases actually." He pointed to the first symbol and the last. "There's more here, but I'm afraid you're right. I cannot decode this ancient script. You're going to have to go to a library to sort it out."

"It's okay, gramps. I'll go there in the morning and see if I can get some assistance. Do you know anything of purification?" It didn't hurt to ask. He might not have had the spiritual powers that he claimed to possess. But he had much knowledge of the Feudal age.

"If you're referring to that tainted thing, I would just forget about it. You have much power, Kagome. But even this thing is beyond your strength. It has been defiled and painted with darkness. It is a despicable abomination, and I do not wish for you to keep it on these holy grounds."

I cringed at the harshness of his tone. Midoriko's soul, was it really this far gone? I'd have to reflect on Kaeda's teachings tomorrow. This new development would make for one long, interesting day. Not to mention I had to tell my silly friends why the earth was vibrating, and then proceed to explain about the obnoxious light that nearly charred our precious retinas. Finally I stood up stretching my aching limbs.

"I'm sorry Gramps. Just let me keep it here for a little while? Until I manage to figure out its purpose for being sent here?" I pleaded with wide eyes. He was a sucker for it. He grimaced, his chest deflating. He had been defeated again. Such an easy battle. I inwardly patted myself on the back for my success.

"Fine!" He grouched. "I'm going to bed."

"Okay, night Gramps." I called to his retreating back. He was probably going off to pout instead of sleep. I couldn't blame the old man. He was only trying to look out for me. He was also struck very hard when I had returned home for good. He was another loved one watching me suffer in silence, another person who longed to help me but could do nothing but sit idly by. Hoping for the best. My heart clenched at the thought, my grandpa loved me so much. . .I couldn't help but swell. To deserve such a family, I had to have done something right in my past life.

I smacked my palm to my face at the thought. I did something right? Like pin InuYasha to a tree, and wish him to be something he could never be. My eyes turned to slits with irritation. I quickly pushed his face from my mind and got up to prepare for bed.

"Stupid dirtbag." I muttered under my breath. The resentment I still held for Kikyou had not vanished, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't increase ten fold. I despised myself for thinking such thoughts about another person. Whether they were a walking pile of death or not. But I just couldn't stand the thought, the sight, the idea in general of Kikyou. I had never felt such ill things about someone before. It scared me, and taunted me at the same time. I was never brought up that way. To hate. I just felt like sometimes it was out of my control. No matter how much I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt, jealousy would rear its ugly head.

It was true that at one time she had probably been a bright, beautiful thing. A lonely, young girl with a duty to protect a Jewel. It was an obligation of course. The girl had wanted to live an ordinary life, as an ordinary person. Instead she got endless amounts of demons making attempts on her life, she got disrespected and frowned upon by girls her own age, and was endlessly tormented with her own misery. She was just a sad, trapped individual. I felt my stomach turn, feeling guilty again. But what did I have to feel guilty for? It's not like I had these thoughts about Kikyou herself. It was her resurrected self that fed my hatred. I often criticized some of the real Kikyou's choices. But I know in my heart that if I would have ever met the girl alive I probably would have loved her. I would have wanted to make sure she could never be lonely again just like InuYasha. And she probably would have embraced me as a true friend. I couldn't be sure of the scenario but I had the sneaking suspicion that we'd hit if off beautifully.

But this was not Kikyou. This was a shell of her former self. It had no right to even take her name. It lingered upon the earth stealing the souls of dead women. It fought to stay alive to make sure she had her revenge against Naraku and to take the life of InuYasha. That was another recurring thought. Had InuYasha already traveled to hell with Kikyou's resurrected self?

What would the real Kikyou think if she knew her resurrected self had committed such an unspeakable atrocity? Would she be as appalled as myself? I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that the girl would definitely be upset. And despite my insecurities over the truth; it was indeed the truth. I was her reincarnation through and through. The reincarnation of InuYasha's dead, former love. There was no way around it, there was no excuse to make. It was just what it was. As much as I tried to show my affection for the boy, the more I'm sure he was reminded of a love that had died way before its time.

I peeled my dirty clothes off, and slipped into some kitty pajamas. I was still pretty avid about my poofy, feline bottoms. People laughed at me. I couldn't care. I practically fell into bed letting my messy hair spill over the pillow and into my face. I grunted pushing it away. I was due for a hair cut. I hadn't gotten it cut for years and it was frequently in my way. Just another resemblance to Kikyou. . .waist length hair. I grimaced pushing the petty thought away.

As tired as I felt, I knew I'd have a hard time getting to sleep. Especially with the new developments that had surfaced so randomly. A part of me was still in shock, with the weird message and the fried Sacred Jewel. The other part of me thrilled to take action over the situation.

I felt hesitant. I felt my heart yearn to go back, to set things right. The ugly, darkness in my heart screamed at me not to proceed. It was there to remind me that I had left for a reason those three years ago. Not because I couldn't handle juggling two lives, but because the heart break was simply unbearable. My wounds had healed up a bit, but they had not closed. If I were to go back and I heard something I didn't want to hear, would they forever stay open? Would all hope for fading scars be lost?

To say that I still adorned scars was putting it lightly. I sweat dropped at the thought. If InuYasha hadn't descended into hell with Kikyou and I happened to show up in the Feudal age, how would I react to him? I would certainly keep a proper distance. I would not be so quick to show affection and I certainly wouldn't make a move to act out on my previous confession. It would be for the best if I could love him the way he needed to be loved. As nothing more than a friend, and a shard detector. But with the whole Sacred Jewel on my night stand, it appeared as if nobody had to worry about detecting a shard again.

Which lead my mind astray. If the Jewel was whole did that mean Naraku had been successfully defeated? And if so at what cost? The lives of hundreds, or the lives of my friends? I surely hoped not, I let myself shudder. My mind was in constant denial, it wanted to believe that they were all alive and healthy. My heart especially would not allow me to believe that InuYasha had thrown his life away so carelessly to descend into hell. But that was a very strong possibility. He loved her. He would do anything to atone for past mistakes. And since he held himself to such a high code of honor, I'm sure he'd do anything to keep his promise.

I wonder if when he drifted into hell, if he ever once reflected on me and our strange relationship? Regretfully I would have to say no. What could it mean to him? He never once came back to try to set things straight. Not that I blamed him. My words were painful and final. In that situation I was pretty sure I'd come back immediately if I were in his shoes or. . .claws. But it would be easy for me to say that since I'm so biased. I could certainly empathize with his situation but until I could live it, I'd have to be in my own favor.

I let my eyes droop. I didn't want to go crazy with 'what if?' any longer. I had done it so much ever since I realized my feelings for the boy. It was just wearing me down. Letting my weight sink into my cottony sheets I let myself fall into a restless slumber.

* * *

"**K**agome!" I was jolted out of sleep by a voice howling above me. I jerked up in my bed with alert eyes. I blinked looking up at the owner of the voice. My brow ticked in annoyance. It was Souta.

"What did you find down in the well?" He asked curiously, plopping himself onto my bed and turning his torso towards me. The bright rays of morning spilled over my bed, giving it a strange glowing effect. I wiped away the sleep in my eyes, trying to ignore my brother's infuriating string of questions. But it failed.

"Nothing you'd think was interesting." I blurted out. It was kind of true. The objects would mean nothing to Souta. He was probably just interested in InuYasha. He always looked up to him like a big brother. He was pretty bummed when he found out his idol wouldn't be coming over for dinner anymore. And he certainly wouldn't be messing with the cat from his spot on the floor. This was extremely upsetting to Souta, who had always wanted a brother. Not to mention his lack of male influence. Gramps could only fill so much of that role.

"Oh." Souta frowned, clearly disappointed. I gave him a soft, playful pat.

"You'll get over it." I assured him. "Now what did you make me for breakfast?"

He stuck his tongue out at me. "As if I would!"

"Hmph. That's no way to speak to your older sister!" I growled taking his head and ruffling his hair. He screeched in protest, but started giggling like mad. I released his head and he rubbed the offended area, pouting. "Now be a good twerp and scram."

"But where are you gonna' go today? Gramps told me you were heading to the library."

I sighed. The kid never left me alone. I felt my lips twitching up in amusement. "Why, what do you want from me?"

"Jeez! I just wanted to know. . .that doesn't mean I want anything." He looked down poking his index fingers together. He looked so depressed I couldn't help but laugh. He was so good at manipulating me with shockingly, incredible acting skills. "Just ice cream." He whispered, still looking like his favorite old mutt had died.

"Fine." I shook my head at him. "I'll get you your ice cream you scam artist. But afterward I really have to go to the library, so you'll just have to endure it. And for god's sake, don't terrorize the librarians anymore. The last time I took you with me you got us kicked out! We'll be lucky if we can still go back." I was obviously more closer to my little brother than ever. He was starting to get older and I just felt more connected to him. Especially after I had left the Feudal era. He was often worrying over me, trying to help me, always making jokes to rip a smile out of me. I was very fond of Souta, and was proud of how he was turning out. He reminded me a lot of my dad, or at least what I could remember of him. He would be proud of Souta also.

I shooed Souta away to dress for the day. I threw on some simple jeans and a shirt. I ran a brush through my waves and skipped down the steps. Today would be a long day. I went into the kitchen and quickly gave my mama a small hug from behind. She was whipping up breakfast for gramps, as I'm sure Souta had already told her we were leaving early to get ice cream and to head to the library.

"I hope everything works out for you dear." My mama said, looking far off. "I take it what you found in the well was not something to celebrate over."

"No." I admitted, not wanting to go into detail. My mama understood enough, and she never tried to pry anything out of me. "But it'll be alright. I'll figure out these clues, and see if there's anything I can do." I promised.

"Does that mean there's a chance you'll be. . .going back?" I was completely taken off guard by her tone. It was one I had never heard my mother use before. Not even when she was upset or the rare moments when her godly patience slipped. The words rolled off her tongue in a bitter fashion. It was very out of place for her.

"I. . ." What could I say to her?

Mama smiled sadly. "I'm sorry Kagome. I don't know what came over me. It's just that I know how much you're hurting. And from what you've told me InuYasha has also suffered much in his life. I wish I could say I didn't blame him. But you're my daughter Kagome, I love you and I want all of your wishes to come true. I'm always on your side."

"Mama. . .I'm sorry." I let my bangs cover my eyes, ashamed of myself.

"Don't be sorry. I always tell you to follow your heart. And I genuinely mean it. Don't let my fears sway your decisions. Not ever. I trust your judgment no matter how much I fear for you. It is just how it is, dear. I love you more than you could ever understand. I just want you to have your day."

"My day?"

"Yes. All of this time you've suffered, yearning for that boy. I don't want it to go to waste. If you happen to go back through that well, I want it all to work for you, the way you want it to work." She exhaled sharply, stirring whatever was in the pan. "All I can do is wish you luck."

I felt my heart warm at her words. She really did understand me. "Thanks mama. . ."

"Don't thank me dear. Just do what you feel is best. No matter what happens." She called over her shoulder. "You should go soon, because Souta is driving me nuts."

I laughed suddenly, picturing Souta jumping around impatiently at the thought of ice cream. As if on cue he came bounding into the kitchen his jacket and cap already on. "Aren't you ready yet?" He huffed impatiently.

"Yeah, yeah. We're walking though. I don't want to swerve through traffic like those nuts I call friends." I mumbled getting my own jacket. I placed the ancient paper back into my pocket and waved goodbye to my mother. "We won't be too late."

"Stay safe." She whispered. I nodded and let Souta lead me out of the house. Always so energetic, that boy. I found myself running with him just letting loose. This was another reason why I enjoyed his company so much. He was full of life, so careless and free.

Laughing like an idiot, he challenged me to a race. I let myself sprint down the side walk with him. It was odd to run like this with another again. All of the running I did in the Feudal Era always cleared my mind. Though most of the time InuYasha would all but force me onto his back or into his arms to carry me himself. I shied away from the thought, he didn't do it because he wanted to. But because he needed me for his shards.

But it's okay. Surely there was someone out there that didn't want to use me. Surely there would be someone to replace the aching in my chest with that of warmth. There had to be someone that could see me for who I really was. I wasn't a bad person, right? I didn't look the greatest, didn't have a lot, but I held many things precious to me. And I knew love. I could taste it. Why wouldn't it let me just take it? Why was I teased with just a mere taste? It was like someone placing you on a tread mill - after you've been starving for weeks - and dangling a piece of meat a little more than an arms length away. An eternal process of running and never reaching your desired destination.

Would I ever have my 'day?' Had InuYasha finally gotten his?

* * *

"**O**h! Oh! I want this one!" Souta ran over to the glass case displaying the delectable selections of ice cream. "Oh oh! Nevermind. . .I totally want that one instead!" He hollered pointing in every direction. Everyone in the shop stopped and turned to us. Souta paid them no mind and continued to be indecisive, shouting and disrupting the place. I hid my smile behind my hand.

He panted, out of breath from running around the shop so much. "Pick for me?" He whined sounding pretty pathetoc. I knocked on his head to make sure his brain was still in tact. Sounded pretty hollow to me. He batted my hand away.

"Just give him the Superman ice cream. I'll take chocolate."

"Oh! I want five scoops, please."

"Souta! Five? Holy crap." I stared at him in awe, along with the person dipping out the ice cream. I shrugged. I had enough money anyhow. He was a growing boy after all. Or a growing pain in the rump. Both were true.

"Just one for me I guess. Five for the twerp." The woman behind the counter nodded, making a strange face at Souta. It proved to be quite a hefty sum of money in the end for just ice cream. I didn't really care, it's not like I wanted to spend money on something in particular. The woman handed the massive bowl to Souta, and gave me my cone. Souta abruptly shoved his face into it. I thanked the woman and we exited the store. Why we were buying ice cream on a freezing, winter morning? Somethings could never be answered.

I tentatively licked at my cone of ice cream. It made me ten times colder than without the freezing treat in my hand. I shivered, whose dumb idea was this again? I glared at Souta from the corner of my eye. His cup was only half full and I could feel my eyes nearly pop out of my head. It had only been a few short minutes. "Dang." I muttered. He didn't even stop eating when he gazed up at me with amusement.

"Something wrong sis?" He spoke with his mouth full, some ice cream dripping onto the corners of his mouth. I could only feel my face twist in disgust at his atrocious eating habits. But I hadn't been surprised at all. He laughed, evidently amused by my features.

"Not a thing." I finally answered him. He shrugged and finished off his ice cream. He discarded it in a near by trash can at the end of a brick walk. He glanced longingly over to my own cone. I glowered at him and gave him the remaining glob of my own treat. "Just take it, shrimp."

It was gone in mere seconds. I prayed for the cone's short life. But it had done its job well. It had effectively shut Souta up for more than a second; It was nearly impossible to do so any other time.

"Okay kid. Off to the library now. You have your gut full enough to tide you over for an hour or two."

"Tch. I could go for five more." He stuck out his tongue at me again.

"Figures." I muttered, we took a quick detour across the street. It was as crowded as ever, people bumping into me, or brushing past me. I was used to it by now. I never really cared much for crowds, but after living your whole life in a crowded place it was easier to drown out all of the noise. I could only imagine how overwhelmed InuYasha's senses were whenever he visited. Probably to the point of agony, with the scents and sounds.

We mostly walked in comfortable silence. Occasionally Souta would retaliate with a really corny joke. He was like the pun master, always looking for something stupid to throw at me. I couldn't help but snicker at how ridiculous some of it sounded. I wondered momentarily where he came up with half of this crap.

We swept around to the library, since we took a detour we ended up behind the building instead of the front. It was humungous and impressive. I had been here many times in the past three years. Sometimes I'd spend most of the evening here, and if it were a weekend or special occasion I'd even go so far as to spend the entire day here. Mostly to catch up on things that I had missed. At that point I had fallen way behind, almost to the point of failing. Luckily they let me cram, and I got a chance to make up missed or failed exams. We shuffled in, ready to feel the warmth of the heated building.

I already recognized most of the people working at the desk. They noticed Souta and I could see their eyes narrowing in distaste. I tried not to chuckle. "Maybe you should run off to get a manga or something. They don't look to happy to see you. They'll chase you with brooms again."

He cringed. "I'm still recovering from those nightmares."

"Then skedaddle, shorty." I shoved him away and he raced off to find a suitable section to hide in. I let my gaze fall to one librarian in particular. I strode over to the desk and she looked up at me already knowing who I was.

"Hey Higruashi." She whispered. "What brings you here? Thought graduation was next week?" She blinked, pushing her work aside.

"Well, I need you to do me a favor." I said, taking out the piece of ancient paper. "I found this on the shrine grounds. It's terribly old, a delicate antique if you will." I held it out to her and she gingerly took it between her fingers.

She unfolded it and skimmed over it. "My my." She whistled. "This is most interesting. I don't think I've seen anything like it."

"I need to know what these words are. It's very important." I said coolly. I was hoping my tone would let her know what was at risk. She seemed to sense something in me and nodded. She was naturally a woman of discernment. All she needed was subtle hints to fathom a reason behind something.

"Alright." She spoke firmly. "Hey guys, I'm going to take an hour to help this young lady." She spoke over the glass to the worker beside her.

"Gotcha. It'll tell the boss lady when I see her." The other librarian replied.

She guided me away from the station and down several flights of stairs. "This might take awhile." She confessed, pulling me along. "That is very old language. Even older than most of the books we possess. But hopefully we can find something. Do you know for sure how old this piece of paper is?"

I bit my lip at the question. It was a nervous habit. "I can't say for sure, but I'd think it's safe to say that it's over 500 years old." Of course it was safe to say. I already knew as much.

"Well I'll be." She said in a sing song voice. "That's just incredible." Her eyes lit up zealously. After crawling down dozens of stairs we stopped at an old door. She took out a set of keys and began fumbling with them. She tried several of them and I heard her curse under her breath. "Darn things." Finally she found the correct key and pushed the door open. Dust filled my nostrils as soon as the door opened. I sneezed profusely when my nose twitched in dismay.

"Sorry about the dust. Nobody ever uses these." She apologized as sincerely as she could while feeling the excitement course through her body. At least that's how it appeared to me. Crazy librarians.

I peaked around the room. It was a timid place, where at least hundreds of books touched old, beat up shelves. The pages of them looked yellow almost to the point of disintegrating. My eyes drank in the site of how thick and massive they all were. I wondered what information they held. I knew I probably wouldn't be able to read them anyhow. It was disturbingly musty in the compacted space, the walls looked as if they were made of cement, old paint was chipped off of them and the ceiling threatened to cave in with old beams hanging down, worn with age.

I saw the librarian slip off into an unnamed section. I followed her finally, watching her every movement. She scanned through the old books, as if she already had one in mind and just needed to find it. "Aha!" She finally said, pulling out a large, old book. The cover had long fallen off, and pages spilled out of it. She picked up the scattered mess and directed me to an old, unsteady table in the back of the space. We both sat down on hard wood chairs, side by side. She opened up the book and flipped through the pages.

Every once in awhile she would pause on a page and write something down. I looked along with her, trying to make sense of the strange symbols, but my efforts were futile.

* * *

**A**fter a few hours I finally left the librarian having a migraine from trying to decode the strange words. She promised she'd find me when she finished. I retreated up the stairs, taking in the fresher air. After climbing all the way back up into the lobby I stopped at the desk again to see a young man. "Excuse me."

His head shot up awkwardly and his glasses glared from the light, blinding me for a quarter of a second. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"I was wondering if you had any books about old Feudal Era legends?" I asked smoothly letting no emotion play over my face. I was always paranoid that someone would be suspicious of me. I knew it was silly, but old habits die hard.

"Of course." He nodded, lifting from his seat. He directed me to a fiction section in the back of the room. He stretched out his hands to show me the selection they offered. I gave him my thanks and he wandered off presumably back to his seat. I let my eyes fall onto the pitiful selection. It was better than nothing. I had never once thought to look through such books until I had pondered over the strange script on the ancient paper. Why hadn't I thought of this before? I pulled out a book that said 'The myths of Feudal Japan.'

Hugging the book to my torso I found a big leather chair to curl up in. I opened the book and skimmed through the pages. Nothing out of the ordinary. Evil demons, enchanting priests and lovely damsels. My eyes fell upon an unfamiliar story.

"The Man of Crimson."

It sounded interesting enough. I started to read through the contents.

'_Many years ago, it was a sight of utmost grotesqueness. A battle field of fallen heroes dying to protect their lands. There was a strange rumor that they had been slaughtered by the most vile, disgusting demon of all. They referred to him as 'The Man of Crimson.' He had no true name, and one never directly saw his true appearance. The only thing they could manage to see was his bleeding, red eyes. The eyes of death, terror and animosity."_

"_Many tried to slay the demon, they say he was faster than a comet, shooting off at the speed of light. His movements although deadly were the most graceful of any demon in the Feudal Age. His claws were the equivalent of razors, the beast's teeth like those of piercing knives. The world was in turmoil for many years at the rise of the Crimson Demon. He was seen accompanied with a very corrupt priestess and an equally powerful demon. Some believe the beautiful maiden had some sort of obscure powers over the Crimson Demon. There was once a conspiracy which said that the Crimson Demon only killed because he was under her wicked spell. Though this could not be confirmed."_

"_Together the trio slowly took over the Feudal age, one village at a time, one blood curdling scream at a time. They left no one alive, even children and small animals. All were slaughtered and it has been said that for a few short years the entire land of Feudal Japan had become dead and a place of true terror."_

"_The fall of the Crimson Demon is where the legend finally came into play. On one faithful morning The Crimson Demon was met with a strange-"_

I sighed to myself. The page had been ripped out. This had to have been a false myth. I hadn't seen anything like that before in my travels. Though it was hard to say. We were only in one small portion of Japan. There were obviously many places we had no need to touch. I shrugged. It was just a story anyhow, something for kicks to pass the time. Or maybe something you'd read to a child around a campfire. Though I had really hoped the small passage wasn't speaking about Naraku. I grimaced. Surely it was a coincidence.

I shut the book in my hand and set it back onto the shelf. I spied Souta across the room reading a manga. He looked truly captivated, as he always was by the things. I sat in silence, letting my imagination get the best of me.

The Crimson Demon? Now that I thought about it more and more. It could very well be talking about Naraku. It was strange though, it didn't sound much like Naraku. He always had minions to do his dirty work. Not a spec of dirt ever showed on his deadly hands. But that didn't mean he couldn't eventually go on a rampage after he mustered up enough strength. I wouldn't put it past him. I prayed that it was speaking of a lesser demon that just happened to wreak havoc in a smaller area, away from my precious friends and my love. Or heck, I'd even settle for it being made up. I let my mind rest. It was just a stupid story. I let my head fall back against the shelf.

"Higurashi. I finally figured it out!" The voice brought me crashing back to reality. It was the librarian. She waved the ancient paper in front of my face. I took it, and she gave me another piece of paper with the modern symbols. "By the way, after I looked it over with my magnifying glass there were some additional symbols at the bottom. They were quite easy to miss. It's strange, for such few symbols to get all of this. Weird ancient language."

My eyebrows shot up at that. I looked over the ancient paper and she pointed to a tiny mark lying across the bottom. Sure enough they were made up of symbols not fit for the human eye. But visible enough to catch on that they were there. I gave her a huge thanks, and promised I'd take her out to lunch one day. She laughed at the sentiment and excused herself back to the front desk.

I sighed, plopping back down into the chair. I unfolded the new piece of paper.

"_Humanity gone. _

_Help. _

_Purify it. _

_Come back to me._

_Start over."_

I felt the color drain from my face, and the throbbing of my heart subsided.

In perfect handwriting I saw the name I never thought I would see attached to such a desperate message.

"_- I N U Y A S H A."  
_

* * *

**Ending note:** Thanks to knifethrower for the well thought out review. I appreciate this. It was a large leap from chapter one to chapter two, perhaps a little too extreme. I apologize for that everyone. But toying with this idea was too yummy to pass up. I also want to say that I completely agree with you on Kagome's appearance in her POV. You're exactly right, Kagome is not a vain person and I don't wish to portray her as such. It appeared that I had difficulty with staying in one view, I still find myself letting up sometimes. I'll keep a close eye on it. I just feel like the story is more dynamic in one specific person's view.

After looking over your review about the beads, and the one I had previously I've decided to make that into a larger idea and it will be a tremendous part of the story in later chapters. I'm trying to set a pace here. I want everyone to get a taste of Kagome after the three years, which is why I have mundane scenes, like the ice cream. I also wanted you to see her relationship between her family as she has grown more mature in many ways. How to cope with heart break and the difficulties you face just going from day to day, that's what I wanted to express here. Because it's going to be a large part of her character later on. I hope it's not too slow for anyone.

Special thanks to the few other reviewers. I'm shocked to have gotten any at all with people straying away from InuYasha and onto other things. Thanks so much. xD


	4. Faith

Leaving Today

Chapter 4

Faith

* * *

"_Humanity gone."_

**I** clutched the paper in my hand with so much force I felt the corners of it cutting into my skin. Making me bleed. I snatched up Souta in a frenzy not even aware that he still held the manga in his hand. Before he could check it out we were out the door, and I was running for my life. He shouted a few weak protests, but didn't have much to add, as he could probably guess whatever was on the paper was something terrible. He allowed me to drag him along the crowded streets. I ran into a few people with full force, I couldn't even present them with the apology they deserved. Instead my throat was on fire, constricting and dry.

I could feel warm, wet tears forcing their way out of my eyes. I wasn't sure why. Maybe because I had been taken so off guard by the terrifying message that my mind couldn't form anything to make sense of them. Humanity gone? Why would he write such a thing? What did that even mean? Had someone died? I high tailed it across the street. My lungs felt heavy, straining against my rib cage. They screamed for a rest, but my legs were too stubborn to comply. Rest was no longer an option. Hadn't I been resting for three years while my friends had been doing god knows what to save Feudal Japan? I hated myself for a moment.

And it was enough for my legs to carry me faster.

"_Help."_

Help? How could I help InuYasha? Wasn't he **my** protector? I was only a weak human right? Or at least that is what he had told me many times before. A weak human with powers that I didn't even know how to control. What good could I do for him? What good could I do for any of them? He was always howling at me about being careless, reckless. And always jabbing his clawed finger into my face to remind me of how I needed protection. His protection. Only _his_ protection.

_"As if anyone else could be able to protect your ass and these damned shards. Who else would put up with you day in and day out?"_

That was exactly what he said. My memories replayed back in my mind like a movie. I could even hear the perfect snarl in his voice. Could imagine his lip curling over his fang in contempt. His eyes burning into mine with an unnamed emotion. Disgust? Maybe so. Whatever it was it nearly blinded my memory, shooting off like fireworks. The way he said it was odd, almost as if he were trying to persuade me to see things his way. It failed in the end, and he ate dirt but his ranting still didn't let up. That's how I remembered him, disgruntled, a ticking time bomb, a complete mystery, strong, definitely arrogant.

So why would this arrogant, strong boy be writing such desperate messages to me from years in the past? And why now of all times? The message was pleading, and chilling. Like he had been without help for along time now. So why wouldn't he have sent this message sooner? Was he really so desperate that I was his only hope? Me, this untrained priestess from the future who had not even the first clue of where to start.

I was running home, but what action could I possibly take once I got there?

"_Purify it."_

Surely he was joking when he wrote that. He didn't even depend on me to bathe alone. He thought I was incapable of walking down a path without his assistance. Why had his tune changed so dramatically? Purify it? As if I could do it so easily. The days I had tried to train with Kaeda had been utterly useless and a disaster of epic proportions. We were always intercepted with a problem or someone was always demanding my attention. Especially InuYasha. Whenever Kaeda and I would start with our training he'd always mope around, practically screaming for me to pay attention to him.

"_Keh, it's not like it'll do any good. She's too fucking stupid to remember half of this shit anyway, old hag. Besides. If she's too tired to stand tomorrow what good will she be to me?"_

It had stung, that was for sure. But it seemed like he was doing it on purpose, almost like he wanted to make me imbed his face into the ground. Even to this day the statement had puzzled me. He was always going on about how I need to be protected, but when I finally had the opportunity to learn something his mood became unbelievably foul. As if I were conspiring against him instead of trying to help things along by being more capable. He had to have known that interrupting all of those chances to learn would hurt us in the long run. So why did he even write that?

I was untrained, my focus was terrible. And I lacked a complete soul because of the undead Kikyou. All of those things worked against me, sabotaging my chances of ever letting my true power surge to life. I already knew Kikyou was still alive, if she would have found peace my soul would have returned back to its rightful place. But I never felt complete. I still felt myself being broken into pieces, even without the lone soul. Apparently I had more than one, but the loss of even one soul could still be recognized. So if Kikyou is indeed still alive why hadn't he gone to her for help? She could probably purify the thing on contact. I wasn't even sure how long it would take me. It could take days. . .weeks. . .months. Especially since I had no idea where to even start.

I hastily climbed the stairs of the shrine, my head reeling for anything useful. I couldn't find one thing that could help this ordeal along.

"_Come back to me."_

Had she decoded that phrase correctly? I would overlook it as an error. To think he'd write such words to me so freely seemed shocking and just plain outrageous.

"_Start over."_

I couldn't even begin to fathom those words. Start over with what? I was getting frustrated by the mess of words that only made half sense. The answers would only lie behind a cursed, tainted jewel. If I couldn't purify it, there was no way I could ever get back. The jewel was so vile, so disgusting. The only sure fire way to get back was to purify the beast.

I had to be sure. I quickly bolted to my room retrieving the cursed orb from my night stand. In a flash I hurdled over the well, testing it. Dropping down within its depths I figured there would be no effect. Hadn't I just held it down here the night before but to no avail? I sighed, defeated as I climbed back up into the bright, afternoon sun. Letting its warmth caress my skin I hugged the cursed jewel close to me.

"What am I suppose to do?" I whispered to it. I knew it could grant me no answers. It just oozed with malice in response. What choice did I have? I popped the cap open again, rattling it around within its glass confinement. I felt the brutal force of its aura. It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck, and subtle goosebumps rose on my trembling skin.

If it didn't transport me back, then how did it get transported here by itself? The well was frustrating, only using its power when it wanted to. Feeling bold, I rolled the jewel into my hand. It wasn't a smart idea. But I wasn't sure what else I could do. I felt it blaze into my palm, charring my skin. I screamed, dropping it. It seemed that I could only hold it for a few seconds, if even.

I watched it burn a dark crater into the grass where it laid. I stared, fascinated as it continued to sink deep into the earth. I watched it bury itself underneath the ground. My hand fought beneath the dirt, preparing myself for the pain I would feel. I yanked it up and forced it back into the glass container with speed I didn't even know I possessed. I winced as the offended skin on my palm burned, reminding me of my stupidity. Perhaps that's why I had to dig for the Sacred Jewel. It had buried itself into the dried mud and gravel. For whoever had sent me this – presumably InuYasha – had not placed it there. They had thrown the objects into the well.

Feeling my mind wander I couldn't help but get the nagging feeling that I had missed something. The clues together had not made sense. A piece of paper that might have been written by InuYasha. Kikyou's hair coil, and her bow. What did that mean? Why would InuYasha throw such a strange mix of objects into the well? Peaking back down into the darkness I couldn't help but wonder.

If the jewel could bury itself into the endless rocks and dirt, did that mean I had more digging to do? "Kagome!" I jerked my head in the direction of my house. Mama was gesturing for me to come in and I huffed, not ready to be roused out of my musings.

"You have a phone call!" She belted out, letting her words carry over to me.

Dang. I got up and jogged back into the house. My mama handed me the phone and I picked up the receiver hoping it was something good for a change. "Hello." I panted into the phone, trying to catch my breath. The mental stress was really starting to get to me. Wearing me down slowly.

"Kagome?" It was Yuka again. I sighed, already forming an explanation in my mind from the prior events. I'd make it something stupid and unimportant. Too bad it was more important then the both of us could ever imagine. Probably far more important than my own life.

"Hey Yuka." I chirped happily, I couldn't let my mask slip. I always felt Yuka had some sort of sixth sense when it came to things like this. Almost as if she were telepathic. "How is everything going?"

"Oh don't give me that crud! What happened last night?"

"Oh that." I said nonchalantly, brushing it off my shoulder like a piece of dust. "Stupid story really. Gramps purchased these fireworks for a celebration. He discarded some duds, he thought he threw them away. But they ended up in the well house. Souta was creeping around there, probably out of boredom and let's just say it wasn't a dud."

"Wow." The line was silent. I bit my lip again clutching onto the phone. "That's the biggest load of garbage I've ever heard. At least come up with something better." She tisked.

"Don't bother questioning it. Just know that the well house is in shambles and everyone is safe, okay?" I pleaded to her from the other line.

She sighed. "If you say so, Kagome. I'll let it go. So how is your speech coming for graduation?"

I slapped my forehead in recognition. "Oh man!" I moaned letting the heat rise up in my cheeks in a powerful blush. Now I really felt like an idiot. "I . . .well."

"Don't tell me you forgot!" She squeaked, making my ears ring. "How could you Kagome! One of the most monumental days of our lives, and you just forget?"

"Look, Yuka. Don't worry about it, alright? I'll write the darn thing. Just stop being so spastic all of the time. You know all of that unneeded stress puts you at risk for-" I knew that would do it. She snorted and hung up on me. I sniggered silently to myself hearing the line go dead. The phone rang immediately after I set it down. I picked it back up, annoyed. "What?" I snapped.

"Idiot!" Yuka screamed. "Write the stupid speech!" I heard the dial tone once again.

"Jeez." I grimaced setting the receiver back down. She was pretty scary when she wanted to be. I shivered at the tone of her voice. I would have to write that speech no matter what the cost. But right now my priorities had been confirmed. InuYasha was always on the top of my list. I'd miss the damn graduation if I had to. But picturing the disappointed looks on the faces of my friends mocked me. I knew I still had this one last obligation to fulfill. This was my home. No matter how much I felt out of place here since leaving the Feudal Era. This was where I was born, and where my friends and family resided. I would have to learn how to juggle again. If only for one week.

For one week I'd have to go to school, write my speech and be the best Valedictorian I could be. While trying to purify a tainted Sacred Jewel. I never said I was normal. Far from it. I resisted the urge to bang my head against the wall. Permanent brain damage would be the only excuse to not get up. Such a shame.

* * *

**S**urprisingly the days flew by. I kept everything on perfect schedule. I got up, prepared for school, dragged into class, came home, wrote some of my speech, and used the rest of the afternoon and evening studying the jewel. I felt like a recluse, I didn't even remember the last time I had a conversation with anyone this week. When I was in school my mind was always spinning around the jewel and how to purify it.

Not to mention I had Gramps digging into the well everyday. He didn't seem to mind. He had found some interesting things by accident. Some old money, bones, and many empty pales from when the well had actually been filled with water. But he hadn't found any additional clues that were the least bit helpful. It was like the well was infinite. Every time he dug ten feet, he'd be presented with ten more feet. It was the same type of rocks and gravel too. I was half expecting him to hit some brown mud and dirt deep within the soil. But he hadn't yet. It was the same dull gray dirt from the well. Gramps said he wasn't surprised. It was a time portal, not meant for drinking out of. He also mentioned that we'd need a longer ladder.

The jewel was the center of everything. I had tried a string of things, even holding it again. This time I managed to hold it for a solid minute, but my palm flesh was so mangled from it I had a hard time concentrating. The stinging, burn felt like it was traveling to my bones every time I held it. Gramps said that having Spiritual Powers had a lot to do with it. It would burn a normal person, but it would fry a priest or priestess. It's equal to being repelled, I'm a pure individual, so the jewel is rejecting me. It kind of reminded me of Sesshomaru trying to touch the Tessaiga. If I held the thing much longer than a minute, I would be brought to my knees, no doubt about it.

I tried to listen to my teacher babble on about the events revolving around graduation, unfortunately it was nearly impossible to drown out everything going on in my head. I felt edgy and distractable, the message InuYasha supposedly sent to me had been enough to drive me over the brink. I itched to go back to my friends – to try to understand – but it just wasn't happening so easily. I'd really have to fight this time. What if this entire mess was my doing? Would I really be at fault for this? I wouldn't dismiss the accusation just yet. Whatever was going on could be all my fault, and I had never known until just now. Hell, I still didn't know, I was still trying to piece the insanely difficult puzzle together.

I tried to keep everything in tact, though. What good was my brain if I let it slop into mush? I made sure to keep well rested for energy. Because I found myself being drained and dried out too quickly. My incomplete soul was trying to help me along, but it just acted so lost. Every second the malice filled sphere was in my presence my soul would urge me to take action, although it had no idea how to go about doing it. All of the mixed signals were doing me in.

"Kagome?" Ayumi prodded me with her blunt nail. "You've been out of it for the past three days." She chided giving me a concerned look. "Is there something you would like to talk about?"

"There's nothing to say."

"You always say that. We are friends you know. You can tell me anything." She assured, patting me on the hand. She let her hand still on top of mine. I eyed it nervously. Ayumi was trying her best to comfort me. Eri seemed almost wary with me sometimes, and her and Yuka would constantly gang up on me trying to beat the truth from me. But Ayumi was different. She was so gentle and considerate. Her feelings were hurt so easily that I hated having to shy away from her.

"There are somethings . .I can't tell anyone." I shook my head sadly. I wished I could tell Ayumi, pour my heart out to her. But what would be the point? She would just write it off as insanity on my part. And I'd be having people trying to check me into the looney bin.

"Awe. . .that's not true." She cooed at me in a very motherly tone. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and smirk. This was so typical. "No matter what you tell me, I could handle it."

I bit my lip at that. For a split second I actually considered it. But shoved it away before I could let the thought carry on. Ayumi although soft spoken and patient, would react about as well as anyone when you told them you yearned to find a half demon from the Feudal Era, that might or might not be dead. I cringed at the glimmer of a thought.

"It's okay Ayumi. I'll be fine. I just need some time. I feel like I have a lot to deal with these days." She gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze and mustered a smile for my sake. Though I could see the hurt flash in her eyes for a millimeter of a second. It hurt me too.

"Whenever you need me, you know you can trust me." She tried again, but with weak force. She would never try to make me talk about something I didn't want to talk about.

"I know, and I do trust you. Don't think that I don't." I smiled back at her from my desk. "I'll miss you when you go." I admitted, it was the honest to god truth. She was the only voice of reason within our little group. The only one that the three of us turned to when we had a problem. The one we all adored and looked up to. She was probably the sweetest person I'd ever known and I would miss her dearly. But I knew Ayumi was following her heart. She longed to travel away from Japan, and she'd make a wonderful nurse.

"I'll miss you too." She let her eyes fall closed and she frowned. "You'll write me and call won't you?"

"Yeah, yeah." I told her, giving her a weak grin. "But let's not talk about it now, okay? We still have a few days left. Let's make do with them." She was someone indescribable to me. We shared a connection that was invisible to everyone but just the two of us. Sometimes, when the weight of my decision was too much for me. I would call her. And no matter how late it would be.

She would answer.

And I would blubber like a child, sobbing into the end of the phone, and she would just whisper encouraging things in my ear. Surely she'd know that I'd never forget those nights. I would never let them die so easily in my head. I could only pray that her life would be as lovely as her own soul.

We shared a long look. It reminded me of the day I had left InuYasha. I was trying to tell her everything with my eyes, and she was trying to respond with her gaze. Her eyes seemed to understand my penetrating stare. They dulled immeasurably. "I hope everything works out for you." She finally spoke, her tone was subdued and melancholy.

"Me too." I couldn't help but agree.

* * *

"**F**ind anything today, Gramps?"

"The same old stuff! I should sell these at an auction!" There was a very mischievous glint in his old eyes. I gave him a deadpan look. "You can come look if you want." He motioned me over to a pile of junk. I sighed, but went along with it anyway. It was the least I could do after all of the trouble he went through digging this crap up.

After I trudged over to the pile I examined the old junk. Some of it was creepy, bones laid scattered around, some of them in pieces. Empty pales of water laid flat on the ground. As lifeless as the well they had come out of. I idly toyed with the idea of how disappointing it would be to go to a well for a drink in the blistering heat, only to lose your pale into its depths. Bummer.

I scanned through the mess. He was right. It was indeed the same old stuff. My eyes stopped on a white piece of fabric in the heap. Curious I let my hand pull it out from underneath the pile. "What's this Gramps?" I asked, still tugging on the fabric.

"Ah! That's a Priestess' robe!"

My eyebrow shot up in wonder. I tugged the fabric all the way out. It was bunched up unnaturally. "How strange. Why is it shaped like this?" It was wrapped around something long and hard. Gramps came over studying it with wide eyes.

"I didn't notice that. I just threw it aside." He blushed, ashamed at missing such a thing. He took it from me, and unwrapped it slowly. "How odd." He chanced a glance at me. It was a strangely shaped object, wrapped with old cloth. Kind of like the cloth you saw on a mummy. "I wonder what it is?" He asked the question floating around in my head.

I took the robe and held it out in front of me, ignoring the silly stick. I wanted to say that it had either belonged to Kikyou or Kaeda, but most Priestess' wore the same colored robes, so it was difficult to say. The only evidence I had to conclude my theory was that Kikyou's bow and hair coil had come earlier. It made sense to assume that this was also hers. I mumbled under my breath. "Just what am I suppose to do with all of this stuff?" It still didn't fall into place.

Staring at the garment brought back unwanted memories.

_From my spot in the bushes._

I huffed and shoved the garment under my arm.

Gramps was still staring amazed at the stick. "It will not unravel! I think it's possessed by a demon!" He whined, spraying holy water at the stick. I rolled my eyes. Knowing Gramps it was probably sugar water that he just deemed holy. Normally I would have been engrossed and amused at the pitiful scene, instead I went to retrieve the Jewel.

"I'm getting the jewel now Gramps. Are you ready?" I was met with his irritated grunts. He was still fighting with an inanimate object from long ago. It would be an agonizingly slow night.

* * *

**L**ost in deep thought I turned frustrated eyes to the Jewel. I was after all, going into this blindly wasn't I? I had the thing, it was my only hurdle to jump over to find my friends. But I had no idea what to do with it. How many nights would I sit here? Trying to let my powers flow naturally? It seemed like I needed a push. If I could just find some way to hold the jewel for longer than a minute. I might be able to muster up the strength to purify it properly. But the pain that coursed through my veins every time I touched it. It would kill me if I held it for too long. I wasn't about to go dying now.

"I still think this is a terrible idea!" Gramps squawked jerking me out of my musings. "It's pure evil! We should not allow it on Shrine grounds!"

We sat side by side. The jewel sealed off in the container in front of us. Gramps was holding up wards. I'm not sure what he expected to ward off, but he was determined to do so if needed. I watched his mouth moving with my peripheral vision. Probably mumbling a silent prayer. Either for us, or the jewel. I couldn't be sure at this point. But whatever he was praying for, the feeling was mutual on my part.

"Just calm down, Gramps. I have to do this. You know I haven't a choice."

I only got a sigh in reply.

"I just wish I knew how." I felt my shoulders slump. Probably from the defeat I felt. I wasn't getting anywhere at all. I just continued to move in an infinite circle. I wondered if I could ever break the cycle and just purify the damned thing.

"Do not fret, Kagome. I know what I said before. About you not being strong enough to purify it. But there is a reason that InuYasha sent it. He must have faith in your abilities. But his faith means nothing if you do not have faith in yourself."

I was thrown off guard by his words. Faith? What did faith mean anyway? I wasn't sure anymore, for my definition of it had been distorted. I knew I held strong faith years ago, in a heart broken half demon. I knew I had faith in the outcome of our journey. But in myself? It was something that I always doubted. At times when I did feel like I had done something right, someone would always come along to knock it down. And the more I allowed it to happen, the more I would feel resentment toward myself. It was a gradual process. I would appreciate myself one time, and someone else would either shoot it down or pass me up. I always felt inferior. Especially with all of the comparisons to Kikyou.

But faith. That couldn't possibly be effecting my abilities. What did it have to do with anything? The faith that I possessed when I was younger died the night I left the Feudal Era. But would that make me weak? I always felt like having too much faith had made me weak. Weak to the truth, weak to the things I should have considered way before I figured them out. Faith had made me so weak that I ran out on my friends.

Did I believe I could purify this Jewel? Definitely not. I had faith in the fact that InuYasha was nuts for thinking that I ever could. I had faith in the fact that I would never see him again. I had faith that if I ever came back to him, he would use me once more. His stepping stone.

"_Kikyou. . .I've missed you." _

I bit the inside of my cheek a little harder than I planned. I had faith in all of the wrong things. But how could I not? All of the abusive words, the aching, the disgusting display I witnessed the day I left. How was I suppose to have faith? So Gramps expected me to have faith, just because InuYasha threw a piece of paper into the well that said "Purify it?" Those words couldn't possibly make up for the emptiness I felt.

So how was I to gain faith?

Was that really the key to this impossible lock?

* * *

**I** sighed inaudibly, staring out the window. I longed to be away from here. I listened to the hum of approval that rang out like a chorus from my friends. I was glad to have their approval, but obviously there were more important things on my mind.

"This is amazing work, isn't it Eri? Kagome has always had a way with words." Ayumi was animatedly building my ego in front of Yuka and Eri.

"I have to admit Kagome, this is excellent." Yuka had a wide grin almost from ear to ear. I think this was the only time I'd ever seen her eyes glow at me with so much pride. Yuka was not alone, Eri was shooting me glances too. I would have been absolutely thrilled if InuYasha hadn't dropped me strange messages, rudely jarring me from my calm, 'carefree' life in modern times.

All I could do was nod dumbly and listen to them harp on about the 'wonderful' speech I would present before our class. I was glad to just be done with the thing. I needed to avert all of my attention to the problems at hand.

Faith.

The word still bounced around in my head, making my ears ring. I was going deaf with the way it echoed around my mind so often. Without another word I slipped away from my desk. They didn't seem to care, they were still talking about my speech. In just a few short hours the whole school would be buzzing about it. Eri and Yuka couldn't keep a secret to save their lives.

The teacher didn't seem to mind either. She just gave me an approving glance. She'd probably let me tarnish the classroom and moon the principal at this point. She had gotten a preview of my speech and was already showering me with encouragement and her eyes shined with adoration. It was only slightly awkward.

Once I was out in the hall I let out a deep, shaky breath. I really appreciated the self confidence boost. But all I could think about was faith. What did that word mean again? Why was it so fuzzy? It was such a simple word. It was used almost everyday in a sentence. Now that I thought of ways to use it, it didn't make much sense. I frowned.

I picked up my pace down the crowded hallway. The other students were busy, preparing for graduation and the celebration that followed. There were decorations everywhere, dedicated to the graduating classes. Many people graciously greeted me, asking me mundane things. Asking about my well being, asking about my speech, asking me about the weather. I was on auto pilot. I could only mumble a response to them.

The hallway should have been too noisy for me. But I only heard the short, word, resonate in my being. 'Faith.' I crept away from the noisy hallway, making my way to an abandoned part of the school building. Most normally it would be crowded here. But since it was the last week nobody had any use for the school library. The last time I had been in a library I had gotten the shock of my life. I was almost nervous to step into one so quickly.

I shoved the door open and it creaked nosily. It was empty. The lights were even off. I shrugged, turning on the lights. I closed the door locking it behind me. It didn't really matter anyhow. Nobody would surely be in here during graduation week. I let my eyes scan the shelves. They landed on a thick, yellow dictionary. I jerked it away from the shelf hoping it would calm my screaming mind. If I could define faith again, maybe I could gain some again.

I eagerly flipped through the pages, almost tearing the tissue thin paper. I was glad that 'faith' was spelled in such a convenient fashion. Because as soon as I hit the 'F' section it was the only word that had stuck out. Bold and inseparable. Such a strong word did not need to bother with syllables. The five letter word was powerful enough on its own. I let my finger fall onto the paper. I read the definition over and over again trying to make sense of it.

**Faith; [feyth]; **_noun;_

confidence or trust in a person or thing: _faith in another's ability._

belief that is not based on proof: _He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact._

a system of religious belief: _the Christian faith; the Jewish faith. _

the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, **promise**, engagement, etc:_ Failure to appear would be _**breaking**_ faith. _

_Related words: _**_trust__, confide, __commitment__, dedication;_**

I sucked in a breath of air. My heart felt like it was going to explode. I kept muttering the definitions out loud, my eyes stinging – my being shaking. So that's why faith was so unfamiliar. Hadn't I been the one to break my own faith? My mind had made the definition so hazy I couldn't even see straight. The room was suddenly foggy, as realization dawned on me.

_Failure to appear would be. . ._

But how could this be? I spent so much time, trying to show InuYasha how much I loved him. Trying to be affectionate, to play with him, to be his companion and friend. To show him that he wasn't a stain to humanity. That he could have friends and live a life too. That he didn't have to hide in his heart, that it would be okay to shine. He wasn't a monster, or even really a dog for that matter. He was one with a soul just like everyone else. So why hadn't I stopped? That day when I left him alone with the intentions of forever.

Why had I ran away from the person that I had truly trusted? That I had loved like no other. Because he was kissing a corpse that he still held feelings for? That he cooed out her name in away that I wished he would to me? He could never do that for me. And I had always known it. Did that little act of truth really make me leave him in such a haste? Sending myself home with a heavy heart and my tail between my legs . . .a total and utter failure.

But how could this be? _He_ was the one that broke _my_ faith! Wasn't _he_? But that's not what this dictionary was saying to _me_. It was staring blankly at _me_. Feeding _me_ with this awful version of the distorted truth that I tried to hard to push away.

_. . .breaking faith._

I felt a chill run up my spine making me hiss through clenched teeth. It was a very strange, inhuman sound. One that I wasn't aware that I could make. But as I replayed the final scenes of my departure through my mind only one earth shattering question could surface.

_From my spot in the bushes._

_I was invisible. They could never see me because they were too entranced, too enchanted by one another to think about anything else _

But if that were the case then why?

"_Do you know how long I've been following your ass?" _

Everything inside of my chest sunk at incredible speed. Just for a moment everything went blank. The impact even forced me to a nearby chair. My legs were no longer sturdy as I contemplated this possibility. But how? How could any of this ever make sense?

"What did you see?" I repeated his words through my own lips. The words that I had completely thrown aside until now. I had never thought about what he said. It just sounded like he was trying to play the dumb, innocent jerk at the time. But that was long ago for me. Looking at things in my older perspective was like painting an entirely different picture but with the same used canvas.

_Her eyes traveled away from him onto the forest floor. She was embarrassed. _

But why? Why would a corpse need to be embarrassed? Hadn't it been a little late for that after she ravaged him with kisses under the glittering moon? I racked my brain for every possible reason as to why someone would be embarrassed after that intense display of affection.

And InuYasha was so bold. So daring with his movements. As if he were _trying_ to put on a show_._ At the time it seemed natural. Two lovers who had been forced away from each other for so long. To be joined underneath the moon and stars. To share passionate kisses, and desperate embraces.

But InuYasha?

_He let kisses trail down her chin to the nape of her neck and I felt my stomach churn at the same pace. _

All of that from a person who could barely stand to hug someone? All that from someone who could barely tolerate a brush of the hand? But how could I possibly be considering this? That was indeed InuYasha that I saw. The same clothes, hair, adorable ears. The same calloused hands used to protect me on a daily basis. I'd recognize them anywhere. I'd know them even if I had lost my sight.

So why did the scene seem so weird now? And I don't mean weird. I mean ridiculously bizarre. His bold movements while advancing on Kikyou, her timidness at the situation, and the strange way he confronted me before I took my final plunge into the well. Now I was receiving ancient letters from him with words that didn't make the least bit of sense.

The only sure thought I had in my mind was that I had broken my own faith. My faith in InuYasha, my love, and more importantly myself. But with this definition in mind, I could definitely rekindle it. I had a purpose now, more so than ever. And that was to figure out this mind blowing mystery. What had I missed? There was a very large factor that I had overlooked. But which?

The clues were staring me dead in the face. But why hadn't they come to me yet? The answer to this riddle it seemed so far away, but in this instant it was on the tip of my tongue.

"Faith." I tested the word again. Looking back to its meaning. Trust, confide, dedication. Those words just seemed to flow together in a perfect union of syllables. Rolling off my tongue like second nature. Hadn't I made a promise? Was this promise so easy to break? Why would I ever want to break my promise?

The answer to this riddle. Had a large part in my abrupt departure. It had a very big part of the way InuYasha had confronted both me and Kikyou that night. It was too conveniently placed. InuYasha throwing himself at Kikyou, but then he claims to have been chasing me all night. He would have had to instantly started chasing me. He could follow my scent, but he was so enveloped in Kikyou how had he noticed my absence? With that dirt bag hanging all over him how could he have smelled anything other than death and old bones?

I furiously shook my head at the bewildering confusion.

"_What you saw? It disgusted you?" _

What a horribly stupid question. _Even for InuYasha_. And he sounded so serious when he said it. There was no mocking in his voice, nothing to indicate that he was nothing but serious; wanting to understand my position. How much of an idiot was he to ask something like that? And was InuYasha really that good of a liar? But if he knew I had saw them, why would InuYasha have to lie? It was uncharacteristic for him to present me with nothing but the utmost honesty.

_S_o why in this instant would he start lying to me? What was the purpose of that? He had made his feelings for both Kikyou and I quite clear. She was the stunning, elegant, beautiful, dead girl that he loved long ago. I was the sloppy, weak, klutz - with an uncute face - who served only as his shard detector, and his occasional 'pick me up.' So what in the hell was going on here?

I wasn't sure whether to be even more furious at him for possibly lying to my face, or to be alarmed at the lack of a conclusion. If only the internal light bulb could illuminate over my head. The answers never came. I stared blankly at the dictionary.

**Faith?**

I could only pray for the school day to end soon for the task that was laid before me when I got back to the shrine. . .was one I would probably never be fully prepared for.

* * *

**Ending note:** WHEW. That seemed like it took forever to write. Again forgive me for the slow pace. This story will probably end up with a hefty sum of chapters. This is . . .not even the beginning. It's like playing an annoying RPG with an endless Prologue. Please be patient with me. Things will take awhile to set into motion as I'm tinkering with the mystery that lays ahead.

**Also Chapter 1 HAS been rewritten I couldn't stand it anymore. I'm so sorry if this has caused any confusion. That was certainly not my intention. It just flowed better in the way I rewrote it.**

I'm going to reply to some reviewers here because I was very interested in some of the responses I got for the last chapter. Sorry for the seemingly delayed update. I'm working and I can only write bits and pieces at night before conking out. It WILL be updated regularly. Whether people are interested in it or not. I'm really into this now. I toy with it constantly, molding it and trying to let everything unfold into my head.

**Eine hexe****:** I'm glad that you were pleasantly surprised. And I'm even more relieved that you didn't think it was pathetic. LOL.

Also, feel free to assume whatever you want. (I'm interested as to what people are getting out of this! It's so creative.) But let me just drop you this little bit of info. You're so incredibly close. . .but no cigar! It's way more complicated than that. But you're right on one thing, although I cannot reveal to you yet which part is correct and which isn't.

Very good guess. ;)

**Knifethrower****:** I'm also a sucker for a good mystery. But I find it odd that I'm actually writing one. I'm never usually the suspenseful type. I like pure, bottom line romance. I love fluff, and hate writing about action. But for some reason, it has all came to me this way. When I read over this fic I'm just like "Jeez. Did I even just write that? How confusing." As far as the glinty eyed librarian. . .

Hm.

That's all I can say. And Thanks for letting me know about the episodes! I had no idea. . .I'm definitely going to check that out!

**FeudalPriestess18: **I also curse the cliffys! I absolutely loath them when I read other people's stories. So why am I making every chapter into one? Curse me too! XD

**Jenni:** Thanks so much for this review. I have the good sense to blush. You're right. There was no mention of Kikyou. And InuYasha seemed to be very confused. (Though that seems normal for him sometimes, hm?) But in the end what does it all mean? _Dun dun DUN_.

2005 is a tremendously long time ago. But that's only because I never had any real intention of making the original oneshot into a story. In fact I probably wouldn't have thought anything of it if I hadn't happened to stumble upon the original in an old word document. I was cleaning out some of my older files when I found it, and that's why I got a flicker of an idea. So don't worry. It will be updated periodically! I will make sure of it. I'm too into it now to turn back.

I am allowed to tell you that it is indeed Kikyou's bow. As I will never make that into something confusing. The design of the bow for Kagome was very recognizable. But the thought was very interesting. Which reminds me, where did Kagome's bow wander off to anyway? I hope she can find it. . . . . she might need it.

As for that dreaded 'Man of Crimson' (Jeez, who thought of such a lame name? :shifty eyes:) . . . .who is he? Naraku? InuYasha? JAKOTSU?! (Most likely not. LOL) Or just some story Kagome read while idly passing the time? We can all take a guess. But it's all in due time isn't it? Hope you stick around to find out!

Thanks to everyone else who reviewed Chapter 3. It's critical for me to receive such reviews at this point as I'm letting everything evolve and grow in my head. If you have a question/comment please feel free to speak up. And ideas or suggestions are completely accepted. I love a little touch of creative thinking.


	5. Voices

Leaving Today

Chapter 5

Voices

* * *

I shut my eyes so tightly it was uncomfortable. I could feel my lids straining over my eyes, making my temples pulse with pain. I let my teeth grit together, making a most horrible noise. The sizzling did not ease. Even as the tears poured down my cheeks, I concentrated on the dull ache of my head. Anything was better than thinking about the pain shooting up my abused arm.

I wrapped my palm around the formidable sphere of malice. It didn't stop at my flesh it was digging into my bones. If I were straining my ears I could probably hear them cracking under the pressure.

"_**That's enough, Kagome! I command ye to stop this madness…"**_ I could hear a sweet voice coaxing me back. Away from this feverish, frenzy of agony. The flames shot up my arm, making it numb. But not numb enough. I could never be numb enough to escape this cruel torture. It was like being stung by multiple poisonous scorpions, whilst being burned on a stake, and being shredded in half with a pair of rusted scissors. I could feel it digging deeper - trying to fuse with my veins. I would not allow it however.

I could feel myself pulse. It was an odd sensation, every muscle in my body tingled in protest to the power trying to invade my veins. I could only assume the evil was trying to corrupt me, taint me, defile me. But somewhere inside of me something shot off. My eyes were no longer closed. They were open, it was just black. I blinked to make sure my assumption was correct.

Yes, it was black indeed. Everything in my line of vision was dark. But I paid it no mind as the corrupt power tried it's best to push through my spiritual energy. It was determined, my incomplete soul was in perfect rhythm with the energy and it formed together on the defense. Had I done that?

The random thought made me break my concentration. My teeth still ground together in a furious motion so I couldn't scream. I didn't want to scream, because I knew it would be so loud that anyone within a 10 mile radius might hear me. I was so close. So incredibly close. I could feel my energies coexisting with one another perfectly. They swirled around the evil making it bend to its will, making it submit. The evil flared in one last attempt. But the energies forming inside of me were almost predatory, snarling and vicious.

Just a few more minutes to bear this…

"_**Stop! It's too much! Ye must do it in intervals!" **_I ignored the soft whispers that pooled into my ears.

So close. . .good and evil swayed together to a hollow song; as graceful as dancers twirling around a dark dance floor. Hand in hand, arm in arm, they whirled together, tangoed in a dangerous ritual. Shifting from foot to foot, a brush of contact. The evil would surrender, the purity would charge in victoriously for the final sweep. Who knew the light was so seducing? Who knew evil was so easily deceived. . .so quick to be embraced by the light? Like a lost, lonely child, wanting nothing more than some affection and attention. It was caving, sinking to its knees as the light danced around it – challenging it further. It was just drawing up the white flag when. . .

"That's enough!" The blackness abruptly disappeared. I felt my eyes widen in surprise from the sudden jolt, and change of scenery. I blinked a few times to adjust to the change. What had just happened? I let my eyes fall to the ground. The black jewel had been knocked out of my hand … But there was no one around.

Those were the only coherent thoughts I could remember before I let my head fall back. I could only register the stabbing pain that shot up my arm. I screamed into the evening air. I succumbed to the darkness once again, as I felt consciousness slipping away from me, and away from the inferno twisting into my body.

"_**Rest now."**_

I couldn't help but to comply.

* * *

"_**Recognize what yer loss of faith has done."**_

_A battlefield of beloved heroes in an orderly line. Cold faces resembled stone, side by side underneath a blanket of glimmering stars. Would they even look up to notice them? Had they ever even bothered to? The blood lust dripping from every pore. How could they notice?_

_Rock hard silhouettes as still as the night, and the ground they stood upon. Would anything phase them now? So strong and brave trained to cope with the heat of battle. To engage in gruesome combat as brothers – elbows brushing elbows – had they ever lived prior to this moment?_

_What was there to fight for now? So much pride shining in the eyes of these subordinates. A grim line set at the corners of their chapped lips. How long had they been standing out in this blistering wind? The snow that was knee deep cutting into their skin as they drew their katanas. _

_I stood watching them. The pain in my arm forgotten, my charred bones that ached earlier were now numb. Everyone of my nerves were tingling and I couldn't rip my eyes away. Why was I watching such a thing in this unfamiliar place?_

_It took all of my remaining strength to put one foot in front of the other. I was standing in this vicious snow but I felt no chill. It felt light and warm against my skin. There were no obstructions as I trudged through the thick frozen field drawing nearer to the brave warriors. They did not acknowledge me. Nor did they seem to care that I was standing before them in such a state. They gazed through me, as if I were nothing more than the bustling air enveloping them in a bitter uproar. They did not flinch when the wind smacked them in their stoic faces. _

_Why didn't they just move? I shivered feeling an extremely ominous aura heading in our direction. I knew they could sense it too as I saw their muscles tense. They took a defensive stance beside one another – huddling together – protecting each other._

_Why were they standing against this maddening aura? This aura of destruction, this aura of pain and conflict. It was so heavy I thought my lungs would shrivel and break off deep into the pit of my anatomy. This unspeakable evil that I never knew existed. Not even Naraku held such a horrid cloud of darkness over him. Every single instinct I possessed screamed at me to run in the opposite direction. To run shouting into the night like a lost, young girl. But just like the men before me I stilled, observing their every move. There was not even one quiver, there was no stench of fear, no expression of worry._

_They had to have lost their sanity._

"_**Do not turn away! Look at what ye have done!"**_

_The aura was closing in on us and I felt the wind get knocked out of me. But I still stood, gasping for air hoping for some relief. I wished the aura would retreat so I could breathe normally again. I wanted it far away from me. . .wanted to be away from these crazed individuals staring blankly at the direction of the aura. Why couldn't I move? Why was my soul so split at this moment? It felt like it was shredding in so many different pieces._

_I felt my chest start to ache and the shortness of breath hit me like a ton of bricks once again. Why was my heart aching? I was brought to one knee but my eyes never left those warriors. The aura was gaining on us, but we were not moving. Why did it feel like we were being chased without even running? Why was there so much fear – but no one dared to act on it?_

_Like the calm before the storm the wind stilled. There was no deafening wind pounding into my ear. All I could hear was the sound of my own heart beating wildly._

"_Do not back down." I heard one of the men say. His voice was low and scratchy. There were so many hidden emotions in his voice that I couldn't even begin to decipher them all. He sounded defeated already._

"_He must be eliminated." I heard another one say. "This foul beast deserves the most slow, painful death imaginable." _

_Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. I heard a chilling noise ripping through the still air. Rough feet padding into the snow effortlessly. It was coming closer. I was only a human but I could smell the coppery scent of blood. It filled my nostrils and made my stomach churn. I wished I could vomit the fear away. The bile leaked down my throat and my eyes stung from the intrusive smells. Is this what death smelled like?_

"_He approaches." Was the last word I heard from the group of warriors. As quick as I could blink his head was toppling towards me; blood spilling from his disconnected tendants and veins. His eyes in his state of death had not even the opportunity to roll back behind his lids. I could not move as I heard the sounds of bones cracking and grinding in the night. It was so dark all I could see was red dashing around before me._

_I stood up on wobbly legs trying to stumble away from these contorted corpses. Some were bent in half – spines severed and twisted in the wrong directions. Dismembered limbs were falling around me as if it were raining death. The blood from their once living bodies splattered onto my face and I threw my arms up over my head._

"_**Don't stop looking! Ye have to see!"**_

_There was enough light to see one final warrior illuminated by the moon and stars. He didn't even scream as the _beast_ approached him, cackling under his breath menacingly. It was a low, throaty chuckle, one that I could never forget as long as I would live. This _beast_ with eyes of crimson did not have a visible form. Its large hand rose up and old blood was caked underneath his razor sharp claws. _

_He could not be visible for he appeared to have bathed in blood. It covered every inch of the beast's skin. His hair and clothes were matted with the life fluids of so many that he could never be seen. I watched his larger form hoist the smaller man into the air by his throat. The warrior didn't even try to squirm free. He stared the _beast_ into his crimson eyes and spat into his face. The _beast_ chuckled wiping the saliva onto his hand he stared down at it for a moment, still holding the man by his throat into the air._

"_Eat it you fuck." He whispered before jamming his hand into the warriors mouth. I could hear choking noises. The man finally moved, flailing around furiously as his eyes started to bleed. In one fluent motion the _beast_ ripped the tongue from the mans mouth and threw his corpse to the other side of the field carelessly. I flinched, holding back tears as I observed the man's missing jaw laying several yards away from his lifeless form._

_The _beast_ was still now. His white fangs were visible as his mouth twisted upwards into a distorted smirk. He licked the life essence from his hand enjoying the taste – swirling his tongue around his mouth. I stood completely still clenching my eyes shut, hoping that this was just a nightmare – that the _beast_ could not see me. I curled up in a tight ball letting my head rest against my knees, I hooked my arms around my legs smothering them against my chest. _

_He finally moved, satisfied with the essence he had tasted on his fingers and hands. He whirled around in my direction and I bit my lip staring into those crimson eyes. My soul was no longer shredded – my heart no longer ached. For even though I had just witnessed the most horrifying scene in my entire existence – I knew those eyes._

_Those _**beautiful**_ eyes of crimson._

_That deadly, perfectly sculpted form of a _beast_. It was staring right at me, but it could not see me. His scarlet eyes narrowed into the night. They lingered on me for what seemed like an eternity. My soul knew the truth, while my tormented mind screamed the truth away. _

_I would love that _beast_ until my dying day._

* * *

I awoke with a jolt, my heart thumping against my chest. I felt my breaths come out ragged and unstable. I still felt the sting in my eyes from the obvious nightmare I had just had. I let out a slow deliberate breath to shake the dream away and to calm myself down. I felt the sheering pain in my arm again, this time it was magnified. I grunted and lifted myself up into a sitting position. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and brow. My hair was slick and damp from the activities of my subconscious.

I was in my room, on my own bed. I knitted my eyebrows together in confusion. I couldn't seem to figure anything out anymore. Hadn't I been purifying the Jewel outside by the well? I was frantic all of a sudden remembering my previous endeavor. My bones ached and I fought to get out of my bed and stand. I steadied myself on my feet feeling a wave of fatigue hit me dead on.

I was surprised to see the light pooling out of my window. It was still daylight. But it felt like I had been dreaming for hours. I shook my head, already forgetting vital parts of the bad dream I had. I limped out of my bedroom and gripped onto the railing leading down the stairs. I was abruptly greeted by my family. My mother was up the stairs immediately holding me at her side.

"Kagome! I was so worried dear. . .should you be standing like that?"

I shrugged not trusting myself to speak yet.

"We found you laying by the well. . .father said you were trying to purify that jewel again." She trailed off looking miserable. I wasn't sure if she was feeling miserable for me or if I was causing her misery in general. I assumed it was a bit of both. I winced at the thought. I hadn't meant to worry her.

"I'm sorry mama." I cleared my throat hoping my voice wouldn't be so raspy. It felt like I had just eaten an entire box of chalk. "Where is the jewel now?"

"He put it back into the container and set it by the well. He doesn't want it anywhere near the house. He says it's very evil."

"Yes." I nodded, hoping to sway the subject. I didn't want my mama worrying even more than necessary. "I'll look after it. Don't worry so much, mama."

She didn't look convinced however. She just eyed me strangely and gave me a reluctant nod. "I'm sure you will, dear." Finally she gave me a weak smile and lead me down the stairs to Souta. He was leaning against the wall shooting me questioning looks. I gave him a pleading glance in return – I was hoping he'd keep his mouth shut as to not rouse any suspicion. He seemed to understand and nodded silently from his spot against the wall.

"Hope you feel better sis." Was all he offered me. I ruffled his hair with my good hand and he fidgeted.

"Thanks squirt." I sighed moving away from them both. I flung the door open only to be met by a set of angry, tired, old eyes. I blinked taken off guard for a moment.

"So you live!" Gramps shouted into my face. "You nearly scared me half to death child! What were you trying to do out there girl? Kill yourself?"

I felt my shoulders slump. Guiltily I shook my head looking down into the grass. "I'm sorry Gramps. I thought I had it. But I guess it wasn't good enough."

"That's not what I'm talking about, girl. You used too much spiritual energy! You're going to cause serious bodily harm to yourself if you do not do this the proper way."

"Well jeez, Grampa. If you knew the proper way all along why didn't you say so?!" I griped, wincing at the pain in my arm and glaring at him simultaneously.

"Don't be a fool, child. Even I know that you must purify something of that magnitude in intervals." He stated very matter of factly. I gave him a disbelieving look. Since when had he become an expert? Oh right. . .maybe when he saw that purifying it all at one time was a _bad_ thing. I sweat dropped as he continued to inquire the obvious. I just listened to him, encouraging the old man.

Finally his eyes drifted towards the well and the container that was resting against it. I crept towards it minding the pain in my bones. I retrieved it examining its strange color. Whatever I had done had caused the jewel to change color. It was no longer black but a deep shade of purple. I quirked a brow at it. Had I managed to purify it partially?

I wondered. . .

I popped the lid open and without giving it a second thought I let it roll into my hand. I awaited the familiar burning sensation to follow, but there was nothing. I breathed out a relieved sigh. I had managed to purify it enough to hold it in my hand. Perhaps there was hope for my flesh after all. I smiled to myself, mentally giving myself kudos.

"Thank god." I whispered feeling the smooth surface against my hand. The aura was definitely different too. It didn't leak evil, instead it was almost sort of tolerable.

"I believe you have gotten through the hardest part." Gramps interrupted poking the jewel with the tip of his finger. "Next time do not push yourself so hard!"

"Sorry. . ." I said in earnest. "It was something that I had to do Grampa. . .this isn't an option for me." I cast my eyes into his direction hoping he would understand my motives. He just pouted looking away from me. I watched him stalk off to retrieve that stick that I had found earlier. He had been playing with it non stop trying to rip the ancient cloth away.

I zoned out, ignoring his shouts and incantations.

I was so close I could taste it.

* * *

"Man, what happened to you? Did you get in a fight or something?" Yuka poked my bandaged arm as the rest of my friends hovered over me inspecting the damage.

"Not exactly. I just fell is all. I think I sprained it. . ." I lied keeping the smile on my face. I had every reason to be happy. School was almost finished and the jewel was already starting to buckle from the stress I was putting on it. If I kept this up it might be purified within a week or so.

"_**Or maybe ye permanently damaged it from the reckless way ye attempted to purify it. . ."**_

I stopped walking nearly dropping my bag. I looked all around the crowded streets of Tokyo. My friends were still hovering over me chatting aimlessly about what could have happened to me.

"What?" I whispered, letting my eyes shift from side to side.

"I was just saying that you should be more careful. You can be such a klutz sometimes!" Eri groaned rubbing her temples.

I gulped, knowing that the owner of the voice did not come from any of my friends. "Oh. . ." I quickly covered it up. I would just have to ride it off as a temporary lapse of sanity. After all I had been doing some strange things lately. Digging in wells, writing speeches, purifying jewels, decoding ancient languages. The list just went on and on. Maybe I just thought I had heard the voice.

"_**Or maybe yer just in denial."**_

I had definitely heard it that time. Loud and clear as crystal. The lovely tone rang out like a bell in my ear drums. I stopped in mid step again, my friends turned around exchanging nervous glances.

"Are you feeling okay today, Kagome?" Ayumi asked nervously. "Perhaps your illness has returned?"

"I'm fine." I said shakily. "You guys go on ahead and I'll catch up." They weren't pleased with the idea but they finally turned and went off on their merry way whispering about me when they believed I was out of hearing range. They thought I was nuts. I couldn't help but agree.

"_**Ye are not crazy. Ye are really hearing me. It's about time ye heard me clearly. I've only been trying to contact ye for seasons now. . ."**_

"Who are you?" I whispered. By standers turned to stare at me. They hurriedly fled from me acting as if I really were a mental case. I ignored them though. If I were really hearing voices I at least wanted to know why.

"_**It matters not who I am. The only thing that matters is that ye can finally hear what I have to say." **_The voice seemed relieved. As if it were itching to tell me something.

"What is it that you need to say?" I whispered to myself. I side stepped into an alley that was conveniently placed close by. I didn't need to keep bothering anymore innocent pedestrians with my random bout of schizophrenia.

"_**I have come to ye. . .only to help ye." **_The voice hesitated for a split second. I could swear the owner of the voice was frowning. **_"Ye have burdened thyself more than ye could possibly know. Ahead of ye lies many hardships. . ."_**

"Well I could have guessed that." I admitted timidly. I absentmindedly played with the trim of my skirt, twirling it between my fingers; a nervous habit.

"_**Don't fret anymore Kagome. I know it's tough, and I understand yer situation. I've always been watching ye. And I owe ye my assistance."**_

"I thought I was doing the right thing for myself when I left. Was I so wrong?" I wasn't sure why I was confiding in this voice. For all I know it really could just be in my head. But it was so soft, so sweet and comforting I thought I was going to cave.

"_**Ye are only wrong if ye fool yer own heart. . ." **_This voice was quiet for a few moments, letting me soak up the words. **_"Do ye believe at that point in time it was the wrong thing to do?"_**

"I'm not sure anymore." I sighed letting myself sink down onto the brick alley way. I let my head rest against my knee maneuvering my injured arm in a more comfortable position. "At the time I was just protecting myself. I snapped because I had it with being second best. I was expecting too much. I wanted to be the best in his eyes. But I had already known that it was impossible. I set myself up to fail."

"_**Is that what ye believe child? That ye have failed?"**_

"I failed him. I failed my friends, and I'm failing myself."

"_**It's not too late to go back and set things right. Ye love him. . ."**_

"More than I could ever admit or express." I threw back the tears not letting them spill this time. Instead I lifted my head from my knee, determined to not be kicked back down.

"_**Then ye will return and finish what ye have started. I am here to help as much as I possibly can." **_The voice was just as determined as myself.

"Why will you help me?" I couldn't help but feel skeptical. "And you can't tell me what this is all about can you?" Of course not. Nothing was ever easy anymore. Not even close to simple. It was a gigantic puzzle that kept growing in size and difficulty.

"_**I fear that I cannot give anything away to ye. I'm here to help ye, because ye have protected me for so long. Ye haven't failed me, and I trust that ye never will. I owe ye my soul for the decision ye will make in regards to my future."**_

"Have we met?"

"_**We've met. . .many times. But we have not spoken."**_

"I can't even get a hint?"

"_**All I can tell ye is that I'm on yer side. I can also say that InuYasha needs ye. More than ye can even fathom, girl." **_The voice sounded melancholy. **_"I owe much to him also."_**

"No offense, but how can a voice help me?"

"_**I will guide ye. I will help ye purify the jewel so you may return to yer half demon – as soon as possible. It is necessary that we work as quickly as we both can." **_The voice held no room for argument. I bet the owner of the voice was a force to reckon with. I definitely had no motivation to challenge it. I gulped wondering what it could to harm me. I could only shudder in response to my own question. **_"I would never harm ye." _**This voice was amused now.

"What can I do to help the process along?" I finally got up from my spot on the ground, brushing off the back of my skirt. I groaned accidentally bumping my injured arm against an erratically placed trash can lid.

"_**First of all. . .ye need to rest. Yer arm cannot handle anymore damage. Or I fear it will be beyond proper repair. Go to yer home, stay off of yer feet. When the sun after next has risen – that is when we shall begin."**_

"How can I speak to you next time? Will you be listening?"

"_**Nay, child. I will come to ye."**_

"You will come back won't you?" I hated sounding so crestfallen but I was desperate for anyone familiar – desperate for any type of help available. Not to mention the voice was very serene.

"_**I promise I will help ye. If ye promise not to forget yer faith again."**_

"I promise." I whispered sincerely. "Never again."

"_**Ye will need it this time around. It maybe the only way to save thyself. . ." **_The statement was almost inaudible and I struggled to hear more.

"The only way to save myself?"

The voice did not reply.

* * *

I tried to rest as much as I possibly could. It was more difficult than I had imagined with my family and friends constantly picking at me. The pain in my arm seemed to throb as the hours dragged on. I tried to pay it no mind but it was constantly reminding me of the damage I had done. I wished for a moment I could be immortal so it would heal.

To say that it was one of the worst pains I had ever felt would be a lie. I could think of a few other things that generally hurt more. Being separated from InuYasha was what hurt the most. This pain was nothing compared to the pain of his loss. It had tried to become duller over the years, but now it struck back with vengeance – especially since I was trying so desperately to get to him.

The voice had made it obvious that InuYasha was still alive. And that he supposedly needed me – not to mention the alarming note I had received from him prior to this incident. How would I even begin to approach him? What will I say to him when this mess is finished and I've finally fought my way back? Would he even allow me to come back to him now? After all of this time. . .

Or does he need help with something else? What about Kikyou. . . and Naraku? Sango and Miroku? Where were they now? And why weren't they assisting InuYasha if he's in trouble? I couldn't help but doubt Shippou. He was much too young to be any sort of aid. Demons aged impossibly slower than humans, so I imagined he'd be about the same as when I had left him. I couldn't wait to hug Shippou close to me again.

I sighed, letting my mind run rampant. So many questions clashing together making it difficult to get a straight answer. I stopped my infernal pacing, I was probably making imprints in the grass from the numerous times I had circled around the well in deep thought. The rantings in my mind seized, letting me feel some relief in the afternoon sun.

The sky was brushed yellow and a brilliant shade of peach. I let my eyes scan over it taking in its beauty. In the back of my mind I wondered if InuYasha were looking at the same sky. I shook the thought away. Of course he probably wasn't looking at the sky. He was probably off sulking in one of his trees or harassing the villagers. Maybe he was even in the arms of a dazzling corpse. . .caressing his calloused hands in the roots of her sleek, shining hair.

I let my feet take me away after the thought. I didn't want to see the sky anymore. I did not want to think of his clawed fingers mesmerized by the feel of her. I bit the side of my lip again. It was too much to think about – and I hated having to beat these thoughts away. I dragged myself into a different part of the shrine. While I was here I would inspect the priestess garbs more carefully.

Perhaps I was missing something larger. It was like someone had started painting a picture but ran out of the proper materials to finish it. There had to be some sort of clue as to what was happening beyond the well. Someone was sending me these random objects for a reason. Kikyou's hair coil and bow, the note, the jewel, priestess garbs. The stick must have just been erratic. As it didn't seem to fit in with the overall problem at hand.

I slide the door open. The dark room was musty, making my nose twitch and my eyes water. I sneezed finally, as the dust seemed to settle on the shelves. I pulled the chain to turn on the single light bulb hovering over the little space. I hated being in such tiny, cramped spaces. But this was where Grampa stored all of his "treasures." Most usually it was just a bunch of junk that he had gotten attached to and couldn't part with. I fumbled around the boxes of ancient artifacts. None of them held my interest.

I stopped at a new box, moving the cardboard flaps out of the way and peaking inside of it. This one shouldn't be dusty, but I could see it already starting to collect in the crevices of the box. I sneezed again and couldn't help but pout at the offending dust particles. I lifted the priestess robe out of the box giving it a brief once over. It was just like the one I had worn while in the Feudal Era. It was identical to Kikyou's. The only clues I had to prove that it was Kikyou's – were the bow and hair coil that came along with it. But why had it been sent to me?

I felt around the inside of the flimsy clothing. There was nothing to be found. I grumbled at the loss of clues. I was just running around in circles now. And my sudden burst of paranoia had lead me to this confined little space – the only difference was that now I had allergies. I threw the garbs across the room feeling the frustration burst in my chest. It landed strangely. Making a "swoosh" and a "thump" sound. Then I could hear clicking and tapping on the wooden floor boards. I stopped, and turned to the sound. "What the heck?" I muttered, going over to retrieve the garb once again.

Before I could get to it, I stepped on something, making my foot slip from underneath me. I landed with an "oomph!" I let the impact sink in, as I laid there for a second. I was laying on something now. Annoyed that I had been defeated by something so small I got up, observing what had caused me to fall so suddenly. I reached for the objects shakily.

"Beads." I whispered, puzzled. There were two of them laying together side by side. They appeared violet underneath the light. I rolled them around in my hand, frowning. Why were there beads here? And why were there only two of them? They must have been in some sort of pocket inside the garb. But for what purpose? They almost looked like the beads of subjugation Kaeda had placed on InuYasha years ago. . .but they were much larger and had a rougher texture.

I stood to full height still gripping the beads in my hand. I deposited them into my pocket and shrugged. It was just getting stranger by the day. I would find one clue that made sense. . .but the next would completely throw me off again. Why would these beads be inside of Kikyou's robe? If it even belonged to her that is. . .

And what was I to do with them?

My brow twitched annoyed at the new questions bubbling into my head. As if my head weren't full enough with unanswered thoughts and accusations. The only thing I hadn't looked at yet was the stick. I made a noise of protest wanting the confusion to end. But if there were so many hidden clues it would only be right for me to observe this wrapped up stick more closely.

I picked it up, holding it in front of my face. There was nothing strange about it. Though I was almost sure it had an aura. It was odd for inanimate objects to have an aura – for they obviously didn't posses a soul. So how was this wrapped up thing any different? What was even more frustrating was that the cloth on the stick could not be removed. I yanked at it, twisted it, and even tried removing it with a dull knife I found laying in another box. But the cloth did not move. I sulked in defeat, angry with myself at being bested by a stick and some old, dried up cloth.

I stopped for a second, letting the stick fall to my side. Old, dried up cloth. . .my eyebrow shot up. Whoever sent this to me had purposely wanted it to be this way. They wanted it to be next to impossible to remove the cloth. Which meant that whatever this was – was indeed important. And definitely worth protecting. Whomever wrapped up the object had used wet, sticky cloth. Years and years of neglect had made the cloth hard and durable.

I gathered it up into my good arm and bolted off into the house to retrieve some boiling, hot water and a putty knife. I tapped my fingers impatiently, waiting for the water to boil. When it finally had – I poured the large pot into a small tub. "Souta!" I called, letting my voice carry into his room upstairs.

I heard feet padding along above me – and eventually footsteps on the stair case. "What's up sis?" He panted, skidding to a halt beside me. I merely blinked at his enthusiasm. He peered over to the boiling water and the stick wrapped up in cloth. I handed him an extra putty knife.

"We're going to scrape. And it's going to take a very long time." I said simply, throwing an innocent smile in his direction. He just quirked a brow and observed the knife in his hand. He gave me a 'you can't be serious' look and I nodded – as serious as could be.

"What do I get out of it?"

"You might get to see your beloved hero again?" I offered.

"Alright." He nodded, his eyes set in determination. It was contagious because I'm sure my eyes matched his own. I lifted the object and set it into the tub of boiling hot water. "What do we do first?"

"Well first. We let it soak. Keep boiling water for me. We're going to keep refilling this tub to soften the cloth a little bit."

He complied, taking the pot and filling it with water. He set it on the stove. "What do you think is underneath all that cloth, sis?"

"I'm not sure. That's why I need to find out." I poked my tongue out in his direction and he rolled his eyes.

"Well duh, Captain Obvious. But I mean you don't even have a hunch? What if we're just unwrapping some sort of evil, demonic spirit?!"

"I doubt it." I assured him, patting his shoulder. "I don't feel like it's dangerous. If I did I wouldn't have asked you to help me."

"Gee, thanks for the boost of confidence." He mumbled, looking hurt.

"I'm not trying to bruise your oversized ego. I just don't want you to get into any trouble because of me. It's hard for me to even guess what's underneath all of this cloth. I've been getting so many random clues that I can't even think straight anymore." I admitted, sighing to myself. I watched the stick float around in the tub, bobbing with the small ripples in the water.

"Do you really think InuYasha is sending you all of this stuff?" He frowned, watching the water in the pot sit motionlessly. He periodically looked at the clock, and shifted his gaze back to the stove. He appeared antsy.

"I think so. But it's hard to say. His name was signed on the bottom of that note. I don't know anyone else that would bother to send me a note and say that it's InuYasha. Don't be so paranoid Souta. I don't think he'd do anything to harm me physically. . ." I placed special emphasis on the word 'physically.' Just to be safe.

"I guess you're right. But doesn't it all seem strange to you? I mean. . .it has been three years. All of a sudden the well house explodes into a billion pieces and there's things hidden under the gravel. I mean, why wait this long to send you something?"

"Maybe he just genuinely needs my help?" I frowned at Souta's words. Why was he making it seem like this was all a trap? Didn't he know InuYasha to be better than that?

"Hey, don't get angry. I'm just saying. . ." He threw up his arms in mock surrender and poured more of the boiling water into the tub. The steam rose, blinding me for a second. The object whirled around at the intrusion. It sunk to the bottom of the tub.

"Well don't think of things like that."

"You're so naïve sometimes, sis. I just don't want ya' to get hurt over there."

"I'm not naïve. And InuYasha has always protected me. . ." I bit my lip again anxiously. "He just can't protect me from himself. And that's not all his fault. . ."

"I miss InuYasha too. But don't make excuses for him, Kagome. What he did was wrong, and then he didn't even try to come back and apologize. You're not the bad guy here. . .I don't know why you insist on placing the blame on yourself. It just complicates things."

"But I was wrong Souta. . .I just ran away when it got too tough. I made a promise. You don't just go breaking promises like that. What's the sense of making them?" I could feel my teeth gritting together in annoyance. I had never heard Souta speak so freely of InuYasha this way. His opinion of him hurt me.

"Maybe you did break a promise. But what was the risk of keeping that promise, sis? You're not the glutton for punishment type Kagome. You can't just keep going back and getting hurt intentionally. It's not fair. From what I understand you've always done everything in your power to make InuYasha safe and comfortable. But what about him? What did he do for you all of those times? And don't feed me that crap about protecting you. You've said many times that you detect his shards for him. Isn't that the purpose of protection?"

"No, that. . .that can't be the only reason!" I denied, feeling like I had been swatted and scolded like a disobedient puppy.

". . .Well then which is it? You keep saying you're only his shard detector. You keep saying he only kept you around so you can do the things he was incapable of. But now you're whistling a different tune. Which is it? Did he protect you out of free will or did he protect you because you have the ability to see his shards?" His voice had risen. It was rare for Souta to lose his cool and shout. But he was shouting now. Still pouring water into the tub.

I was quiet then. My mind reeled for an answer to give my little brother. I sat back on my knees still looking into he depths of the tub. "I wish I could tell you that Souta. But I have never known the true answer to that question."

"I hope when you figure it out it isn't too late for you." He hissed through his teeth, sounding menacing. "I don't want to know what happens to you when you find out that he has only been protecting you for his shards."

"He would never hurt me. . ."

"I hope not, sis. I really hope he wouldn't. Because we can't help you when you're on the other side of the well. We wouldn't even have a clue." He sounded thoughtful. He took a seat beside me, sitting Indian style. "He use to be my hero Kagome. But only because he brought you back to our family so many times when it had been so dangerous. He's not my hero anymore, sis. In the end. . .he has always been your hero. Not mine. If anything I can't stand to think of him. Not after what he put you through. I'm only helping you because I know. . ." He hesitated for a second, looking away from me. "That you love him."

"It'll be okay Souta. I lost my faith before. . .but I know what my heart is telling me now. I have to go back. All I want is to be with him. . .even if he doesn't want me by his side."

"Isn't that what you said the last time?" He gave me a sideways glare, his eyes burning into mine with intensity I never knew he had. I was surprised. I never knew Souta was so upset over the subject. I just figured he never really thought of it. I had been wrong.

"Yes. And I was right the last time. It's so hard to explain this to you. But when I'm not near him, I just feel like my soul is sliced in half. My soul isn't even whole anymore to begin with. . .but now I just feel this large void. It's so empty." I rubbed my forehead with my palm. I wasn't sure how to go about expressing what I was feeling.

"That's heart break Kagome. There's no such thing as a soul mate." He made a disapproving noise in the back of his throat.

"How do you know that? You've been spending too much time around your preteen, smelly friends." I said exasperated.

"Because it's silly to think that."

"Okay, I can jump into a well and travel 500 years into the past, fight demons, and have spiritual powers. . . But there is no such thing as soul mates?" I snorted.

He was quiet, his mouth set in a grim line. He had no retort. I could almost see his torso deflate. He had been defeated. I was satisfied enough. "Whatever." Was all he could give me in response. "Just know what you're doing this time – be more careful."

"I promise." I held up two fingers in the air, and waggled them in front of his face. "Scout's Honor." He batted my hand away, and shook his head. We both turned our attention back to the floating object in the tub. "Hey look! It's starting to unravel. . ."

Souta audibly gulped, probably out of fear for whatever was underneath all of that cloth. I licked at my lips, reaching down into the tub. The water had already cooled down enough for me retrieve the object. "Watch out sis. Who knows what that thing really is."

I nodded and pulled at the piece of cloth that had been knocked loose. I tugged at it gently, watching it rip away from the remaining cloth. We both stared in awe, anticipation getting the best of us. "Hurry up!" Souta shrieked making me flinch.

"Stupid! Don't yell in my ear!"

"Oh give it to me. You take forever!" He barked out impatiently. He snatched the object out of my hand and whirled around. I shouted a protest and made a move to whack him on the back of the head. I was stopped when I saw him take the putty knife. I watched curiously as he started scraping along the side of the object. The unraveled cloth hung even farther away from it. It swung lifelessly with Souta's movements. "It's black." There was a pregnant pause. "And it's shiny too."

"Weird." I tapped my finger against my chin wondering what could possibly stay shiny after being worn with age. It had been preserved in the cloth, but how could it still remain shiny? I reached my arm over his shoulder and tapped on the surface of the object. It was smooth and tough as granite. Souta continued to scrape at the thing in swift, long strokes. Half of the paper was off and I squinted to see if I could remember such a thing.

"Finally." Souta wheezed. He took the unraveled piece and started unwrapping the object. . .I learned over his shoulder as best as I could but he shoved my head away from him. "You're blocking the light!" He whined.

"Fine!" I sunk back onto my knees waiting for him to reveal what the object was. I tapped my fingers impatiently against the floor boards. "Don't see why you're the one who's doing it anyway! InuYasha probably sent it here for me!"

I blinked a few times when he didn't respond. He was quiet. And from the back of him I could see his arms halting all movements. His shoulders slumped and he turned slightly so I could see his eyes. "Why would InuYasha give you this?" He asked. He stood up from his spot with the black object in his hand. He turned to face me and my eyes traveled to the object recognizing it immediately.

"That's -"

" - Not the worst part." Souta finished for me, knocking me off track.

"What?"

He tilted the sheath upside down and there was a heavy 'clank' of metal hitting the wooden floor. I let my gaze drop to the floor where the sound had come from. And I could feel my entire heart sink, if it could fall out of my chest it would have shattered into a million pieces. . .

"Why would he give you half of his broken sword?"

Time seemed to stop. . .

_I would love that _beast_ until my dying day._

* * *

**Note:** Wow. So sorry for the delayed update. I wanted to get this out sooner, but I've actually ran into a bit of a block. Right after I ran into the block I started writing this story in InuYasha's point of view to support this current story. I think this helps me. I wasn't going to continue with his story, but it seems to help bring everything together. So after I've finished with at least half of this story I'm going to post up some chapters from InuYasha's story. It will be called "Yesterday's Abandonment."

Thanks to all of the reviewers and those entertaining guesses. So close. . .so very close. I hope you all continue to read, and I also hope you don't get frustrated with my slow pace. It should be coming along nicely now. [Anybody up for more guessing?] XD

Another small tidbit. I will be editing this story. I try to catch every error as much as I can, but I'm only human. I often overlook some of it. I'll be coming back as much as I can to fix those small typos and grammatical errors. If you see one – I apologize. It will be fixed as soon as I can get to it.


	6. Assistance

Leaving Today

Chapter 6

Assistance

* * *

"_. . .So we can rise together towards the future. Strong and brave."_

**I** was unaware of the audience standing before me. I knew there were over a hundred set of eyes watching my every movement. Hanging onto every single word I was saying. If it were under normal circumstances I might have almost been nervous, and feeling a bit exposed.

My mind replayed the scene of Souta tipping the sheath. Half of the broken Tessaiga thudded against the floor. I would never forget the sound it made. And I'll never forget the feeling behind my rib cage when I cried myself to sleep last night. I let my eyes wander from person to person. They were all staring – some of the students were in awe as my words flowed smoothly from my mouth. I wished for a second that I could be one of those people.

I wished I could be someone that was amazed by something so mundane. I wished I could be one of those people that could be in the dark. I had tried to stay in the dark after I left the Feudal Era. But to no avail. I would never be a normal human, with a normal, **mortal** agenda. From that day three years ago, I had been the sickly, freak. That strange girl in the corner cramming every bit of material in her head because she had suffered from so many "terminal" illnesses that she couldn't get caught up in her studies.

I was the girl that didn't attend dances, didn't accept dates from the most popular boy in school, didn't try out for a team. I was the girl that disappeared from time to time – that everyone loved to talk about. I was the girl that was always plagued by rumors. Disregarded, sometimes idolized for things that I had never done. Stories of me running off with some godly looking biker to join a cult. Stories of me being suicidal and threatening to blow up Tokyo. Silly things like that. It never really bothered me, until I gazed upon the faces of my so called "peers." They could talk about me behind my back but then be tear stricken by my words.

"_We cannot fear the trials that stand before us for we are the class of. . ."_

And as I ranted in the most encouraging mannerism I could muster, I wondered how any of this would ever make a difference. Would these people even remember these words when they were out in the cold, lonely world? Would it even spark a flicker of a memory? When they gained true loves, and a family of their own would they sit through the graduating speeches of their grandchildren? Would they remember this day? The look of sheer stoicism on my face as I tried to make them swoon as charismatically as I possibly could? I was not here. I was on auto pilot. I felt my mouth moving but my mind was on fast forward, as if I were trapped in the Matrix.

My own words were so slow and quiet – like a tiny wisp of background noise at a jamming concert. I knew at that moment that I didn't belong here. In front of these clueless individuals that couldn't even begin to fathom some of the things that had happened to me. They were all so small and insignificant. As the tears poured from their glazing orbs – I knew that there were far more important things to cry about. They would all move off to college and sit in a dead end job for the rest of their existence. And they would be happy – because that is all that they would know. I had once planned my future this way.

I would go to college, get a spectacular looking degree and live my life as a slave to the system just as everyone else. Because that was what I had been influenced to do. That was what we're all influenced to do. As soon as I fell into that well and met InuYasha. . .I knew life had a lot more planned for me than a cushy office chair in a skyscraper. When I traveled to the Feudal Era, I had seen the sun for the very first time. This era was just gray and neutral. It could never measure up to the light in the past.

But who knew where my light was now. His sword broken in half, wrapped up in cloth and shipped to me like a package. I gritted my teeth – trying my best to get through this awful speech. Who knew what form he took now. A half demon? A human? A raging beast? One of InuYasha's persona and strength was capable of unimaginable destruction. Complete obliteration. He was able to do things that I could only imagine in my worst nightmares. None of us had ever dared to speak it out loud. But if InuYasha was roaming around in the Feudal Era as a full demon. They were doomed. All of them. The entire era.

I was praying to every single god I could think of. That maybe he could somehow remain a half demon. Maybe there was a chance that he had kept his sanity. Perhaps the madness had not been an issue.

"_Humanity gone."_

If this were true, how was he able to write a letter to me? Why would a transformed InuYasha have any use for me if he were so blood thirsty he couldn't see? He would kill until he was eventually killed himself. That would be the only way to stop his rampage.

I thought it had made pretty decent sense, considering the lack of evidence. But the more I thought about it, the more it was even more startling than before. The clues were all pointing to me that he was running around causing havoc in the Feudal Era. But he's tame enough to write me notes? That's what throws everything off. He's not suppose to think about anything but suffering and death. Or at least that was the impression I had after seeing him in action and listening to Myouga talk. It was true the flea was often over dramatic. But I was quite sure he was serious.

And if he were tame enough to write me notes, wouldn't he be tame enough to find Myouga and Totousai so they could possibly fix Tessaiga? They had done it before, why couldn't they do it again? Why was he sending me his broken sword if he was with it enough to carry out the action itself?

And what of Miroku and Sango? Why did they not take the sword to the old demons? They knew of their location and they're also aware that they would lend them assistance in regards to InuYasha. This made even less sense than before.

"_So I would like to thank each and everyone of you. For your support, for your love and devotion to our class. You are the true heroes of the world. . ."_

Tomorrow morning the voice would return to me. But how would I cope being confronted with all of this dead on? What awaited me on the other side?

"_I will miss you. And I wish you nothing but the best of luck. For wherever fate may take you. . ."_

* * *

"**T**hat was fantastic!" I heard a delighted holler approaching me at incredible speed. I recoiled for a second and was presented with a flying tackle from my own mother. I scrambled for proper footing as she tried to knock me off balance with her sudden enthusiasm. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders squeezing me to her torso. I coughed trying to keep my breath. "I'm so proud of you! You finally did it! After all of this time."

"Yeah." I agreed, trying to get out of her cast iron clutches. I had to admire her strength. I never thought she had it in her. At long last, she loosened her death grip. I could finally return her hug, throwing my arms up around her and giving her a delicate squeeze. "Never thought I would make it." I teased.

"You did excellent. I'll remember this day forever." I saw a stray tear falling from her eyes and my own gaze softened at the display. Before I could say anything there was a blinding flash erratically placed in my vision. "Yow!" I yelped at the invasion.

"Smile!" I heard a chorus of people say. Before I could protest this madness there were several people wiggling around me to take my picture. "For the yearbook!"

I acceded as best as I possibly could. I posed with several different people trying to smile at my darkest hour. What should have been a joyous occasion was nothing short of an annoyance. This was one of the last stepping stones to reach my final destination.

The party that followed narked me further. I even had the distinct pleasure of cutting a yard long cake decorated with ribbons and colorful icing. Shrugging I figured I better make the best of it. I dipped my finger in the icing receiving many death glares from my classmates and their parents. My mother lectured me for ten straight minutes about putting my finger in other people's food. I just chuckled at her, trying to enjoy myself if only for a moment.

Maybe this would be that last time I could laugh for awhile. My face turned to stone again. My lips parted, and my eyes turned to slits. I was losing focus.

"_**This occasion means much to you?"**_

It was the voice again. It seemed different tonight. I let my eyebrow dart up in confusion. Searching for a place to be alone, I fought through the crowd of celebrating graduates. I made my way down a dark, abandoned hallway. "Why have you come to me so early?" I muttered into the darkness.

"_**I'm so very sorry. I was just curious. What is the purpose for this celebration?"**_

So the voice was just randomly adventurous tonight? I gave it a lopsided grin. Even if it couldn't see me. It was certainly amusing. "We're celebrating Graduation." I said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. The voice was quiet, as if it were contemplating it.

"_**I do not understand. . ."**_

"In this era you have to get education. Or you can't get a stable career. Once you've finished the required amount of schooling they honor you in a ceremony called 'Graduation.' That means I can go onto more advanced schooling if that is what I wished." I explained as best I could, hoping to not puzzle the voice further.

"_**Oh so you have education. You can read and write?"**_

"Of course. I can even read and write in a few different languages." I informed the voice proudly. I'm not sure why it made me proud. It's not like other people couldn't do it either. If not just as well.

"_**You said 'if it is what you wished.' Does that mean you will not continue with education?" **_The voice was low and calm. There was something strange about it tonight. It seemed like an entirely different voice. It almost struck me as lonely. And why was it saying "you" instead of "ye?"

"I never planned on going back after I met InuYasha." I said wryly feeling suspicious all of a sudden. "Why do you want to know?"

"_**I'm just honestly wanting to understand you and the way you live in your era. It's all so different. So advanced. It's fascinating. I wouldn't mind being born in this era." **_It said in wonderment.

"Really? Were you born in the Feudal Era then?"

"_**I was. I'm sorry for all of the questions. I just wanted to know you." **_If the voice had a form I could have sworn it would have been blushing. Why was the voice so suddenly bashful?

"I thought you said that we've met."

"_**No. I am not the one that will be assisting you. You have not met me. But I had always wished I could meet you." **_The voice was disappointed.

"Can't you tell me your name then?" I asked a little too boldly. Perhaps trying to manipulate a voice inside of my head wasn't the wisest of ideas.

"_**I wish I could introduce myself. But I will have to save that for a more appropriate time, I'm afraid." **_

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Realization dawned on me. "Just how many of you are messing with my head?!" I hissed, making the noise echo off into the end of the hallway.

The voice laughed. A largehearted laugh of mirth. My eye twitched. _**"Don't worry about it. We're not here to harm you or to distress you. The voice you heard yesterday is always happy to oblige you. Me on the other hand. I have my own reasons for contacting you. I hope you'll speak to me freely. I rather enjoy conversing with you."**_

"Of course you do." I mocked it, imitating its tone. "Because you're not the one that looks like you're talking to a wall!" I pouted, disgruntled at looking like a complete fool. It giggled this time. Which was odd. Perhaps the voice really was lonely, because when it laughed it seemed almost awkward and timid.

"_**It's no wonder why you love him. You fit each other well." **_I was silenced then, immediately snapping my jaw closed. **_"I mean um – your personalities seem compatible." _**It was ranting now, seemingly uncomfortable. Did it think it upset me?

"It's okay, I know what you meant." I smiled. "You don't talk to many people do you? But I suppose it's hard to talk to others when you're in someone's mind."

"_**Even when I was alive. I did not speak to many."**_

"Why is that do you think?"

"_**Because I was always different from other girls. I was lonely most of the time. But it was my own fault. I felt obligated to uphold my duties. You don't seem to make my mistakes. I'm so glad. You're such a free spirit. I guess I envy you."**_

"Oh please. Don't envy me." I shook my head, leaning against the wall. I shut my eyes and sighed. "I'm a real fool sometimes. I act out on things too quickly and get into gigantic messes such as this. If I would have just thought things through and remained calm. . .none of this would be happening."

"_**Oh Kagome." **_It sighed. **_"You're just as hard on yourself as he is. You're not a fool for acting on your emotions. Consider it a blessing. Even if your snap judgments do not always work out in the end – you're following your heart. That is a difficult task for many to carry out. I was one of those many people."_**

"So you regret the choices you made in your life?" I cocked my head to the side. "You're dead." I said simply.

"_**Yes. I have been dead for many centuries according to your era. I can't say that I'm completely regretful of my choices. But I would have certainly done things differently if I had a second chance. Life is a gift. It's an opportunity. Do not waste it on things like obligations and duties. Though I don't even have to say this to you Kagome. You've already learned the most important lesson of all. Without help from anyone. And that is to live."**_

"You seem pleasant. I can't believe you didn't have any friends. . ." I was really baffled.

"_**I had one very good friend. But even he wasn't enough for me. I always wanted more. Always longed for people to get closer to me. And to live as a normal woman. But I never acted on those things. I used them as motivation. I shouldn't have had to. I should have just charged in and accomplished my dreams. I wanted to settle down, have a family with a normal man, and have a normal life."**_

"You never got any of those things?" I felt the corners of my mouth pull down in a long frown.

"_**I never got any of them. I died very young." **_

"Your friend was a male? Did you long to be with him?"

"_**No. Not in that way. He was not a normal man. And he could not provide me with a normal life. He was only the best friend I ever had. That was all I could take from him, and that's all he could ever offer without changing into something that he could never be." **_The voice was melancholy. It could have been frowning too.

"That's depressing. Did the man love you?"

"_**No, but the man is bound to me by honor. And honor alone."**_

"Honor bound? But that's kind of romantic." I smirked, teasing the voice. "Don't you think?"

"_**It's not romantic, Kagome." **_The voice was amused. **_"It's tragic. The man cannot move on because I am in the way. He desires something more dear to him than I. But my lingering soul will not let him have peace."_**

"And what is so dear to him that he would set you aside for? And what of your memory? Does it mean nothing?" I could feel the frustration pouring out of me. I always hated hearing about the underdogs in a love story. Because I could always relate. I sweat dropped at my musings.

"_**True love of course. I would rather him forget about me, than to have him torture himself over something out of his control. Even if I would have remained in the world of the living, it could have never happened between us. It was not what I was looking for, and fate holds so much for him in a form of a new love. He was lonely too. We clung to each other because we were all we had. But now he has many people that love him. A young woman that would take her life just to hold him. But he will hesitate." **_The voice was dripping with angst at the later statements. **_"Because of his hesitation he has caused so much suffering and damage."_**

"That's so sad." I cooed, wishing I could comfort the voice. "What ever happened to him?"

"_**I'm not sure yet. But I'm eager to find out. . ."**_

* * *

**T**he next morning I was frantic to receive a visit from the first voice. I had enjoyed speaking to the second voice. But it flat out admitted that it could not guide me like the first one. We had spoken most of the night away. It made it easier to avoid having more nightmares with the voice chuckling in my ear.

I had already packed my things. Basic survival junk. A first aid kit, fresh water and food, a few changes of clothes. I also packed a few extra things like matches, a flashlight and a few jackets. I would start packing the most important bag next.

I had bought it after I left the graduation party. It was an oblong shaped gym bag. It was much larger and I know I'd kick myself for buying it after trying to maneuver it with a nearly severed arm. But I didn't have much choice. I collected the hair coil, the robe, the ancient paper, and the sheath that housed Tessaiga and deposited them into the bag. I took the dull, rusted half of the Tessaiga and wrapped it up in a thick cloth. I placed the beads into a zipper compartment in the front. I still wasn't sure why I needed them, but I would keep them with me just in case.

I brushed my hair gingerly, mindful of its length. Since it was getting longer, it kept getting thicker. It was like brushing a rope. I grunted running the brush through it. I fought with it for a few minutes and slung it over my shoulder. There was absolutely no help for it. And I hadn't the patience to try.

My family already knew that I was leaving. They had all headed off to Osaka earlier this morning. They went to visit some extended family in the area, and probably wouldn't be back for a few weeks. I had said some heart filled goodbye's to them. I couldn't promise them I'd be back. I didn't want to think about it however. I could only hope that once I was on the other side the well wouldn't be stubborn. I had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time I'd see my mother's face.

Perhaps I was just in denial.

"_**Well ye are up early and ready to seize the day." **_This was definitely the first voice, as I mutely noted the way it spoke.

"What took you?" I grouched, feeling anxious all of a sudden. And with very good reason. I hadn't meant to sound so harsh to the voice but I was extremely unnerved.

"_**Forgive me young one. I still have many things I have to take care of." **_The voice chuckled lowly sending a strange rhythm into my ear drums. It was almost as if whoever was speaking was standing right beside me. I can only nod dumbly at its response. I felt weary of it all of a sudden. Maybe I was just being a huge brat. I heaved out a long, dramatic sigh.

"_**Ye are certain yer ready?" **_It spoke casually, but there was a hint of doubt lingering on every syllable. I blanched at it, wondering if it were trying to warn me instead of encourage me.

"It's now or never, isn't it?" I asked with genuine curiosity. Now that I was so close I was starting to exhibit some rather reluctant behavior. My hand was clenched at my sides, and I felt myself almost trying to hyperventilate. Why was I acting this way? I had already probably guessed the worst of it. How could it possibly get anymore terrible?

"_**Indeed. It really is now. . .or never. I want ye to reflect on yer life here. Do ye want to go back running the risk of never returning? I cannot say for sure if ye will or not. I have not foreseen that far into the future. I just want to be sure that ye have explored and played with numerous outcomes." **_

"I'm sure I want to go back. Even if that means I can't return. . ." I had known this day would come long ago. Where I would have to pick between eras. I just wasn't expecting it to be so soon. And under these circumstances I hesitated to make a proper decision. I was flying by the seams of my pants here. Because I knew InuYasha might or might not be in trouble. How could I not take this opportunity? I had to fix this. My heart knew that I belonged with him. Regardless of the amount of trouble he might be in. Even if we were knee deep in complications. I had to go.

"_**So be it." **_The voice didn't sound encouraging now. It sounded like it was trying to pressure me. Would it even care if I wanted to stay here in my own era? Or would it convince me to return? It seemed to be pressing me onwards. Perhaps I really didn't have a choice after all. **_"Retrieve the jewel."_** It commanded with so much intensity I found my legs having trouble conforming to the request.

I slung my book bag over my bad arm and onto my shoulder. I picked up the bow and swung it over me in a similar fashion. I held the oblong bag with my good hand and gave my room a once over. I breathed in the scents of my house possibly for the last time. Before my eyes could well up with tears I was already heading down the stairs and out of the door. Now or never.

I darted towards the well to fulfill the voice's wishes. Sure enough the semi purified Sacred Jewel was still leaning against the well in the same glass container. I surveyed it quickly double checking its color. It was still a dark purple. The blackness had not returned. I dropped the oblong bag to the grass gently enough as to not disturb the contents inside. Returning to the container I popped the lid off and slid the jewel onto my hand. It thumped dully from the contact.

I placed the container into my bag and confronted the voice again. "I have it now."

"_**Close yer eyes and concentrate on deep, slow breaths."**_

I obeyed immediately. I shut my eyes gently, allowing my breathing to take over. The voice was quiet as I continued to concentrate on deep, slow breaths. Inhale, exhale. I lulled myself into the most comfortable state of mind I had ever been in. Perhaps the owner of the voice had been influencing me.

"_**I want ye to think on yer purpose for purifying this jewel."**_

Hadn't it been obvious? To return to the Feudal Era of course. To rekindle my faith in something that I had let slip away. To right the wrongs that I have committed, My crime against love and my own heart. Because if I couldn't purify this jewel I might live in regret for the rest of my existence. Always wondering 'what if?' I didn't want to be that person that skipped out on something so divine. Something that tasted as sweet as the love that flowed through my veins for that man. The man that I had skipped through time and space just to stay beside. The man that I blatantly distrusted enough to destroy myself. I would destroy myself if it meant one more breath of air could escape his lungs. But more importantly. I want to purify this jewel because of the love that I feel to my very core.

I had been wounded by it. And I would probably be wounded again. But instead of running away, fleeing like a lost soul, I would rise against it. I would fight for what my heart yearned for. I would fight for the fate that had been laid before me.

I felt my palm tingle. It was a feathery light sensation. One that I probably would have missed if my mind weren't so open. All of my senses had been shot into over drive. I could hear every sound around me, could feel every brush of breeze against my skin, the warmth of the dawn. Behind my lids I could see the glow of today nearly blinding me with its unmerciful rays. Someone had lit a fire into my soul. It was surging forth, blazing in an inferno that had been cast onto me. It should have stung, but the feeling was so innocent – so pure and warm that I could have been brought to my knees.

"_**This is the true power in yer soul, young one. It's so dynamic and spectacular, that ye barely need me to guide ye. It's simply praiseworthy."**_

I could still picture him in my mind. The soft fuzzy appendages twitching beneath my fingers. Those furry triangles of perfection. His slumbering visage in the spring, as he rested against the bark of the God Tree. I could remember the way his limbs tangled into the roots, and the way I wanted to reach out and release him. Setting him free so he could run, and live under the sun.

The way he cracked his knuckles in an intimidating display. The way his hair blew beside me, cascading over my shoulder as he glided. The feel of his rough palms teasing the back of my thighs as he carried me with him, soaring above the scenery.

Would we ever soar together again?

I concentrated on my breathing once more. I tried not to gasp at the sensations welling up into my bones. Everything was so miraculous that my head could only swim with delight. To reach euphoria only by the thought of him.

"_**What is it that ye truly wish, girl?"**_

"I wish to go back."

"_**Do ye wish upon the jewel?"**_

"Of course not!"My eyes snapped open in protest and all euphoric feelings were lost, snatched away. I dropped the jewel letting it land on the ground beside my bag. I watched it roll, successfully stopping when it hit the side of the well. It was magnificent.

It was not black, it was not a deep purple, it wasn't even fuchsia. But the jewel was white as snow as it glittered with day break. I gasped audibly clutching at my sides. "What on earth?"

"_**Ye purified it." **_Was all the voice said. It laughed wholeheartedly at my actions.

"But how?"

"_**Ye refused to wish upon it. Yer thoughts were nothing but pure. This is just as I suspected. There was not even one impure thought in yer head, young one." **_

"But – that can't be it!" I groaned feeling solely disappointed. "All of that trouble and all I had to do was refuse to wish upon it?!" I felt the anger nagging at me. I even severed my arm over something so simple? I should have known better. I glared at the jewel from the corners of my eyes.

"_**That was all." **_It was still getting a kick of out my disappointment. Some guide it was.

"But why is it white? The jewel was always a shade of pink." I bit the side of my lips wondering what I did wrong. I prayed I hadn't ruined it forever.

"_**White is the purest shade of all. Nobody has managed to purify it so incredibly. Ye have made it almost untouchable. It's almost a deity all in its own now. This means the jewel will be more picky with its handler. Not just anyone will be able to touch it. Only those with a pure touch and spiritual energy."**_

"This is a good thing." I sighed feeling relieved that I hadn't tarnished it somehow.

"_**Be warned. That if someone with malicious intent manages to hold onto it – its power has grown dramatically. Do not let it fall into the wrong hands."**_

I nodded furiously hoping that it would never come to that. I made a silent vow to never let it out of my sight. Though that would be somewhat tricky without InuYasha to assist me.

"_**In its current state ye may easily grant a wish upon it. Perhaps several. To be rid of it ye must make the right wish."**_

"The right wish?"

"_**Yes, only ye would know what that would be."**_

"Only me?" I gawked.

"_**Yes, child. Only ye."**_It was a very blunt voice. I sighed.

"So it will transport me back to the Feudal Era now?" I was getting even more on edge than before. I thought I was going to bust from the suspense.

The voice laughed out right. _**"Ye may return now."**_

I drew in a sharp breath and nodded. "Thank you for all of your help."

"_**I did nothing but show ye what was already in yer heart." **_It explained. **_"This is the last time we will speak. I have done what I have set out to do, and ye must return."_**

"So you're not going to guide me anymore?" This irked me more than I had imagined it would. I would really be on my own now.

"_**I fear that our time together has diminished. I will be with ye as always, but I will no longer contact ye. I'm sorry, girl. Ye must set out alone."**_

"I'm grateful. Thanks again." I called to it one final time. There was no reply. I picked up the bag and the discarded jewel. I placed the jewel into the container that now rested in my bag. I let my eyes wander around my home one last time before I finally turned to the well. "Now or never." I whispered, reassuring myself.

Taking the deepest breath I could possibly take I hoisted myself over the lip of the well. I stared down into the darkness and toyed with the idea that I might just fall in and break my leg. But I trusted the voice. If it said I could return I would believe it. The jewel was glowing in my bag as if it were anticipating the jump. Letting myself finally release the long breath I had drew in I let myself fall feet first into the blackness.

I shut my eyes on instinct preparing for the impact of a painful fall. Instead I felt my bag pulse, and my anatomy pulsed with it. I finally let my eyes open when I felt myself floating. It was an obscure feeling this time around. The floating had changed to a sense of falling off of a very large cliff. It was funny, I didn't remember it feeling this way. I worried for a second that maybe the well was malfunctioning. But it evaporated as soon as I saw a gentle hue of cyan envelope my line of vision.

It seemed to take generally longer than I remember. Before it seemed as if the process took only a few seconds. This time it had taken minutes. I was still falling, but my body remained in the same position. My feet were still planted firmly in the same spot. I wondered if I would ever touch down to the other side. The jewel in my bag seemed to hear my musings because as soon as the thought escaped, the cyan light dissipated into thin air. I gingerly landed on my knees as the falling seized. I panted for air after the long ride across time. It was pitch black in the well.

My eyes squinted unnaturally. The sun had just been rising in my era. And as far as I could remember our seasons were basically matched. I huffed wishing for a light source. I groped around for the flash light in my back pack and clicked it on. I felt my heart jump for a moment, just in case I might look up and see something terrifying. Instead I was greeted with a roof.

My eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. A roof? "Hello?" I called – just in case someone might have been inside whatever it was encasing the well. I was met with the echo of my own voice, and a deep hollowness of nothing. I gulped with relief, wetting my mouth as best as I could. After mustering up some courage I tilted my flash light and inspected the inside of the well for some vines to climb on. They had been purposely left there when I traveled between the two eras. Instead the vines were gone, and replaced with a makeshift looking ladder. I felt my eyebrow quirk. Since when had somebody attempted to make a ladder? It hung limply with ropes, and polished wood. I tugged on it to test its durability. It would only be my luck to start climbing it and fall and break my neck.

I placed my foot on the bottom slab of wood and let my full weight down on it. It swung slightly, offended by the weight. It stopped its movements shortly after and I decided it was safe enough to climb on it. I lifted my bag and placed it under my arm. My book bag and bow were still placed over my shoulder. It was extremely difficult to climb with all of this extra baggage, and even worse now that my left arm and hand were completely useless. I finally fought my way over the rim of the well, tossing my bag onto the other side. It landed with a sharp thud against a wooden floor.

I threw my leg up over the rim and pushed myself over, landing on my backside. I grimaced at the feeling. Looking around I could see light spilling out of a lonesome window. I gaped at the building housing the well. It wasn't even a well house. It was a home somebody had built. Why would someone build a house with a dry well inside of it?

It was breathtaking. Whomever had built it had spent a lot of time carrying out the task. The floor boards were aligned uniquely, in a very outlandish pattern. The walls were made out of polished brick, there was a fire pit and some neatly stacked firewood in the middle of the floor. There were chairs and a table strung through out the house. I peered over at a door in the left hand corner of the room. I bit my lip wondering if it was really okay for me to inspect someone's home. It was just so foreign and random. Someone building a house over the well.

I decided against the idea and frantically looked for the exit. It wasn't right to go snooping through other people's things. Even if they did build a house in an inconvenient area. I found a large door that appeared to be made of some strange metal. It was just as beautiful as the rest of the house. I looped my finger through the chain handle and attempted to yank it open. It wouldn't budge.

I cursed my god awful luck.

I pulled on it harder even using my feet for support. I grunted, but ended up just landing on my bottom again. "Darn." I grumbled. My eyes drifted towards the lonely window. It seemed like drastic times called for drastic measures. I opened the window as silently as I could. I was never very stealthy. Instead I ended up accidentally breaking the latches. I hoped whoever lived here could someday forgive me. I threw my bags on the other side, and wiggled my way through the window. I landed this time, on my back. I had just gotten here and I was already bruised up and dirty. Figures.

Regaining what was left of my dignity I pulled myself off the ground to observe my surroundings. The home was even more enchanting on the outside. It was larger than I would have guessed. There were roses, and daisies lined all around it. The grass was so lush and green it almost burnt my irises. Whoever had lived there had marvelous taste.

I turned away from the picture perfect home and wandered off into the familiar direction of the village. The forest still remained untouched. I already knew the God tree was in tact, as it was still growing strong in my era. I briefly glanced over at it – adoringly. I passed it without hesitation, still very goal oriented at this time. I had seen no signs of life. In fact I had almost waited for InuYasha to jump out of the God Tree demanding an explanation and cursing like a sailor. That would have just been too easy though. This was an authentic puzzle, a sheer mystery.

I decided as I found nothing out of the ordinary that maybe the voices had just simply exaggerated the death and destruction they had claimed to witness. Though for the life of me I couldn't understand the motive behind that. I leaped over tree roots, and dodged stray tree branches. The grass was much thicker, much taller now. But maybe that was just my failing memory.

It looked just as extravagant as the day that I left. I smirked to myself. This was going to be a lot easier than I thought. I continued down the path that I have traveled so many times before, still dragging my luggage along as if I were going to some snazzy hotel room in Hollywood.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw peculiar craters in the soil. The grass was dying out in this area, and there were four sets of angry tracks leading towards the village. I couldn't quite grasp what they were, but it was alarming anyway, as nature seemed to be thinning out as I followed the marks.

The once wonderful trees were now nothing but dead, old stumps rooted to the ground. The grass was dull and brown, and there were no flowers and birds to be seen. The breeze did not blow here. Instead it was deathly quiet. The sound of nothing made my ears ring and I felt my pulse quicken.

I broke out into a light jog, following the angry imprints in the dirt. They seemed to have a pattern. They would start out wide and unmerciful but then they would thin out and become more relaxed. The landscape was getting deader and deader as I followed. There wasn't even dead grass to be found now. It was just dirt and a few fallen trees.

I had almost reached the village. It was overlooking a little hill top that I had climbed over many of times. I exerted as much effort as possible as the hill started to get steeper. I was already out of breath from the long trek up the hill. I was certainly not use to running like this anymore. I'd have to get more akin to it later on. Anxiously I peered over the hilltop to catch a glimpse of the village.

I did a double take. "My god. . ." The smile on my lips died.

I _would _have caught a glimpse of it – if it were still standing that is. . .

* * *

**Note:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed Chapter five. It shouldn't be coming along so slowly now. I already have three other chapters written in advance. They'll be posted up every Sunday. I kind of wanted to keep it on a specific schedule. I didn't want to throw them all in together, it kind of kills the suspense factor - in my opinion. And I just want to say, POOR KAGOME. Seriously, what would you do if you just randomly started hearing all of these voices in your head? Sick amusement, I guess. xD

**Mars Rose:** Sorry for all of the annoying cliffhangers. I always promise myself that I would keep them at a minimum. But once I start writing I find it vital to leave them that way. When I'm reading someone's story they break my heart too. But if I'm writing them it just seems natural. Thank you for the support! And thanks for putting up with my pace/annoying cliffhangers.

**Island Heart:** Ooh, I'm glad you took the time to review. I enjoy reading what people are getting out of this. And yes, the Tessaiga has broken. Wonder what that means? C:

**Lady-Sttar:** I'm glad that you're enjoying the mystery. There are so many hidden angles in this story that I've even confused myself on occasion. It takes me several tries and much needed editing to protray what I'm thinking. There's also a factor of personal position. What I feel is mysterious may not be mysterious to anyone else. Let's just hope it all flows together nicely in the end. Thanks for reviewing!

Before I forget - Happy Holidays, everyone. :D


	7. Shambles

Leaving Today.

Chapter 7.

Shambles.

* * *

**I** gripped onto the bag in my hand.

I wasn't aware of how much time had gone by. Seconds, minutes, hours. A day could have passed.

A flood of memories pierced my cranium. Digging so deep into my brain that I sank to the ground. Dropping the bag, the contents spilled all over the grass around my knees. They didn't matter right now. Perhaps they wouldn't ever matter again. I could feel my frame shake violently. It was uncontrollable. I didn't even try to stop it. My irises burned so intensely that I could no longer see the violet of the sky.

My hopes crashing into the dirt as if they had taken up the form of a meteor colliding into the earth. What could I do? Cry. Scream. Throw myself into the dirt with my dreams. Crumble and buckle into the heap that was once my home - this _dwelling_.

I let out a wail that was so mind blowing that it even pained my own ears. I hunched over my knees, digging my nails into the land. I dug into it so hard that they started to break and bleed. But the pain never came. My tears fell, forgotten, and sinking into the stinking dirt. I resented them.

Sitting atop the ruins that was once Kaede's hut. Amongst this destruction and the thick stench of emptiness. I felt true pain rip through my body. Smashing and crushing everything inside of me that I once held dear. It was exactly that of which it reeked of. Absolute nothingness. The stale air was too thick, the scenery was too real. Why couldn't my eyes tell me a lie?

Rotting wood strewn about for miles, skeletons mangled and twisted. The necks and spines nearly broken from the rest of their bones. Old blood stained around the remains of their tattered clothing, ragged, and worn with age. My head spun as I fought the urge to lay down upon the dead landscape and never wake. Hesitantly, I crawled. My legs had failed me, I squirmed my way towards a distorted corpse that had been half eaten by vermin. The tears still fell, and I felt my lower lip trembling so erratically that my teeth were chattering together. I sucked in a breath of air. My hands found their way onto a piece of the corpses' clothing. I gripped onto it, feeling the icy, dampness of its texture. I shivered, pulling myself up, effectively hovering over the corpse.

It was the decomposing body of a young child. It's eyes and face half eaten. It was a young boy – one that I hadn't recognized – but it didn't change the fact that it was indeed a child. Somewhere in the back of my mind an image of Shippou appeared. Cheeks puffed out with a half grin. Emerald eyes as vast as the greenest forest, shining with mischief. A lump of fur bounding its way towards me and launching itself into my arms. I craved to see those sparkling eyes again. If only the dead could speak. I chanted a silent prayer for this poor child's soul. Whatever had gotten a hold of him had nearly bent him in half.

Wiping the tears and mud from my face I crawled away from the decaying little mass. I wondered how long it would take to sift through every single skeleton and burnt down hut in the village. Surely my friends had gotten to safety, right? Even old Kaede. . .she still possessed some spiritual power. Surely InuYasha would not let such a fate befall our friends. Even if he was an insufferable jerk, and a little out of control at times. Never in a million years would he stand by idly while innocent people were being twisted in half. He himself would never fall victim to such atrocities. He was one of the strongest demons I knew, aside from his half brother and Naraku.

But if that were to be true, why did InuYasha not save these innocent people? I couldn't help but feel a burning sensation well up into my throat. It was a sense of foreboding like I have never experienced before. There was no doubt in my mind that if he were near the village that he would have put a stop to this tragedy. There was no reason for InuYasha to leave his home. I felt my eyes narrow at the revelation that dawned on me, unwillingly. But I refused to utter it, aloud.

Could it really be that I was _too late_ to aid them?

It couldn't; I confirmed ridding myself of these unwanted thoughts. I was being a pessimist again. It was a habit I started to pick up after the last incident involving InuYasha. But for now I had to stay positive. The voice had guided me here for a reason. If all of my friends were truly dead, what other reason would I have to linger in this era? If they weren't involved what other reason would I have to defend _anything_?

Even so a lot of questions still loomed over my mind making me grit my teeth. Why would my friends allow this entire village to be mutilated? Why would InuYasha allow someone to build a house over the dry well? Did he really not care whether I returned? Perhaps the answer was more painful than the actual question. It felt as if I were being ripped in two. My heart always won out against my logic. Sometimes I acted a little rashly, always jumping to conclusions, but never solving the puzzle. In a way I was no different from my hot headed, thick skulled, hanyou love. He was always so rash and daring. Always charging in without an actual plan.

I decided that if I had to live, I had to regroup and get an actual plan. The lives of the people I loved were at stake. My own life was at stake.

I decided to have a thorough look around the village. This was the official start point, so I tried my best to stand my ground with as much courage as I possessed. Cowardice ran through my veins as I trekked around this ground zero. Examining many dead bodies, and broken huts.

The dead told me nothing. As I had searched well over a hundred bodies, and on the bodies lied no evidence, or clues to the whereabouts of my friends. Nor did they tell me what had actually happened to them. Stopping upon a very fresh looking corpse, I peered down at the form. This one was most unusual. It was as if it had been preserved. I could only guess the person that once operated the body had not eaten very healthily. Because the body remained fresh as morning dew. Startled by its appearance, I turned the body over to inspect it to the best of my abilities. The back was nearly shredded. I couldn't think of a better word to describe this mess. Long, engorged marks took up the majority of its skin. Yellow puss was dripping from the wounds, the odor assaulted my nose making me want to vomit. I held my breath and removed the shirt from its back.

The marks were familiar. There were four indentations running down the length of his spine. Almost as if the thing that had done this had carved him in this mannerism on purpose. They were similar to the markings etched in the dirt that led to the village. But these ones were unmerciful, enraged. They were so deep that you could see the bones sticking out from beneath his marred skin. Flinching at the grotesqueness I stepped away from the body, this time with a shudder. "My god." I whispered into the haze of emptiness. My eyes scanned across all of the bodies I had just searched, not wanting to look at their wretchedness any longer I let my eyes roam upwards. For the first time since I had come back today, I had just noticed the sun kissing the horizon. Darkness was about to overtake the sky. I cursed it silently. Hoping for a moon fuller and brighter than any I had seen before.

As I saw the first makings of a glittering star – I plopped onto the ground – succumbing to the night.

I wasn't sure how I was going to survive the night. It was blistering cold in this era. The moon was pale and mocking, laughing at me with its dimly lit surface And even so, I could still see the newly formed snowflakes shimmer from the reflection of its shine. The flakes fell hard. Making a thin layer of white on top of my jacket and jeans. I hadn't been worried until the snow found its way to my eyelashes, making me blink and rub at my tired eyes. I pulled my jacket as close to me as possible, retrieving the items I had acquired from the well. I hoisted the bag on top of my shoulders once more, and dug around in the spare for my flashlight. I also cursed at my lack of batteries. I clicked it on, grateful for the tiny bit of light it supplied me. It wasn't enough to fight the blindingly pure sheets of snow that blocked my path, but at least I was allowed the privilege of seeing where my legs were carrying me.

I zipped my jacket all the way up to my lips. I could see my shaking breath in the air, puffing out like a gust of smoke. I kept my eyes downwards, careful not to inhale through my mouth. I didn't have the slightest hunch of which direction I should go. I just started walking. I hadn't much choice.

I concentrated on my feet, holding the flashlight into a suitable position. The light from the device bounced with my step. I still could hear nothing but the unforgiving howling of the wind, and the snow flying passed my ears. There were no presences to sense. Nothing to be smelled, tasted, or touched. I needn't worry about what could possibly be lurking in this blackness. There was nothing to be seen. Just me, Kagome. Walking around in the abyss, alone. Five hundred years from home. With pieces of a missing riddle, with no riddle to solve.

As the snow started to get more dense, I noticed my feet disappearing. Evaporating in the white. I could feel the stinging seeping into my skin.

It hadn't changed the fact. . .that there was no more sanctuary to turn to.

* * *

**T**he concept of time in this era held a hollow meaning. I was sure that the night would end by now. But it hadn't, it dragged on and on. Infinite. Just as the raging snow that knifed itself into my body. There was no end to it.

I couldn't count the number of corpses I had tripped over in the night. I couldn't begin to imagine how many pieces of charred wood and bamboo I had spotted with my flashlight.

It was all the same.

Burnt down villages, with matching inhabitants. As I fought my way further from Kaede's village - the more gruesome the remains. By the looks of these human shells, Kaede's village had almost been spared. Whomever it was committing these horrific murders, must have had a softer side for the place we once called home. These people however; not so lucky.

At first I had been a tad bit more optimistic. The marks in the soil had even led me away from the village. But as I stood knee deep in snow, that was no longer a luxury. I heaved a sigh. The freezing temperature was starting to get to me. And I prayed with every bone, tendon, cell in my body that I would eventually stumble upon shelter. A person sounded much better. At least then I could get some type of explanation. Though for the life of me, I don't know anyone capable of slaughtering all of these likely-innocent village folk. Not even Naraku himself had done anything so tremendous. I couldn't understand what had the power and strength to destroy so many lives. I wondered how many of them screamed, cried, begged, tried to crawl away. I found it better not to guess about such things.

I was worried about my friends. But I had this itching feeling that wherever they were. They were just fine. I hadn't seen any clothes that had resembled my friend's. I'm sure amongst them their senses were impeccable enough to sense the danger and find some sort of refuge. I was more worried about finding that refuge. If I were them, where would I run? Of course it was a pretty stupid question, considering I wouldn't have the first clue. I could only surmise that Sango, Miroku and Kirara would not separate. Shippou - being the young, and loyal kitsune that he was - would have probably followed them to the ends of hell and back. InuYasha was a different story. If I wasn't around to 'get in the way' then he would have fled to Kikyou to protect her.

I felt the bitterness settle into my stomach.

That would have been his number one priority. I would have assumed that Kaede would have gotten word of this predicament, and rushed the other villagers to safety. However that was ripped away rather forcefully after witnessing the demise of the village. With that, I could only hope that Miroku and Sango had assisted her.

Koga would have high tailed it for sure, Ayame and his pack hot on his blazing trail. Sesshomaru would have snatched Rin up immediately and taken her someplace safe. So I didn't have to be bothered about them either. Biting my lip I realized that my options were limited. I didn't know my way around very well.

I only knew of the old Totosai's cave, Koga's den, and a few places where Naraku had been hiding during our journey. I would settle for the first two. If all else failed, I would return to the ghostly battle fields we had the misfortune of bleeding upon. It was quite a journey to the old Totosai's cave. The ancient youkai lived far off the beaten path. Almost into the mountains. It could take weeks for me to get there myself. Koga's den laid even farther. I could imagine getting there in a month or so on foot.

"**Well aren't we eager today." **It was the second voice. It sounded oddly joyous for such an occasion. I grimaced, not appreciating its enthusiasm.

"I don't suppose you're here to give me directions?" My voice sounded almost foreign. I hadn't a need to talk for what seemed like years. The voice gave me no response. I huffed. "Figures.'"

"**I'm sorry Kagome. I fear that I can't help you in that way. All I can do is provide you with support. You look like you could use a little." **It was soothing me again,

"I don't know about support. But I could really use a hot bath, and a few extra layers of clothes." I admitted to the voice. I pictured the owner of it frowning in my mind.

"**I would like you to concentrate on your breathing. I'm afraid that swallowing too much of this chilling wind will give you ill health." **I blinked as it stated the obvious. I could feel the corners of my mouth twitching upwards for the first time in hours.

"Are you concerned about me then?" I teased it.

"**I am not." **The voice teased back. **"Although clumsy and scatterbrained I do believe you will be just fine. You are stronger than you give yourself credit for." **It was sincere. I blushed, appreciating the heat that rose to my cheeks.

"Thank you." I smiled into the darkness. The voice was silent for a moment. "Say, voice girl." It laughed at the uncreative nickname. "Is there something that I can call you? Or perhaps you can just give me your real name."

"**I fear that I cannot supply you with that information. However you may call me what you wish." **The voice paused. **"Just make up a name, if you desire me to have one. Whatever you pick I shall live with." **

"Live with, huh?" I chuckled darkly.

"**Very funny."** It let out a weak laugh in retort.

"Well let me see here. . ." I trailed off looking into the darkness. My feet still carried me to an unknown destination. I had lowered the flashlight significantly. I felt more at ease talking to the voice, it was sweet, calm, and something akin to charming. It was also a part of me. What should I call it?

"**Kagome?" **The voice sounded worried, almost cringing at my silence. I cleared my throat, and stilled my movements for a few passing seconds.

"Maro." I spoke before continuing my pace.

"**Pardon me?"**

"I'll call you Maro-chan." Clutching onto my bag anxiously, I lifted the flashlight back into its original position. The snow wasn't letting up, it was only getting worse. I wished to see my feet and knees, but they were completely buried. The snow melting into my shoes, soaking them. Perhaps the voice didn't appreciate the name very much. It was quiet. "If you want I can think of another-"

"**No. . .that's alright. . .I. . ." ** The voice laughed outright, startling me. **"I just wasn't expecting that. It's kind of nice really."**

"I'm glad you think so. I hope you're really not just a voice in my head though." Grinning I pushed my way up a rough, snowy hill. My teeth chattered slightly against the blistering temperatures. It was nothing short of a white-out. As far as my eyes could see there was nothing but colorless flakes rushing about in every single direction.

"**I assure you, Kagome. You are most certainly not insane. You did not just create an illusion in your head. I once existed, remember?" **

"Yeah, but how do I know that I just didn't make up some elaborate story with my temporary lapse of sanity?" It was a legitimate question. A lot of people have multiple personalities, or some type of imaginary friend. I was never known to have anything of the sort, not even when I was young. Maybe I was just regressing?

"**Come now, don't you think you're going a bit overboard? I never took you to be the paranoid type. I always thought you to be fairly naive. But it seems that you will not trust in me." ** Maro-chan was silent, as if mulling over something. **"You have changed from before, correct?" **

"You could say that. . ." Biting at my lip, I felt my eyes stinging from the intrusion of the snow. I sucked in a deep breath as the wind picked up dramatically, making it almost impossible to stand upright. "Shit, this is bad."

"**You need to seek shelter, immediately." **Maro-chan informed me. I had already known that. I glared at her inwardly. **"My apologies. . .I am rather surprised that you cursed."**

I sweat dropped at the random confession. "No offense Maro-chan. But that's the least of my worries. I have only changed as we all change. We change every single day, every single waking moment, we're changing in some aspect. Molded, and kneaded, taking on a different shape. I can't say that I'm proud of some of the choices I've made, abandoning my friends, letting jealousy fill me with bitterness. And as much as I loathe coming to terms with the situation, I know it means nothing. I can't take it back, the only choice I have is to fix it, or leave it broken. I'll be damned if I settle for the second. I've been a fool."

"**Before you seemed quite determined that leaving was the best option for you. Do you not take your own feelings into consideration any longer?"**

"That's the problem." I gritted my teeth trying to fight the winds. I was certainly no match for mother nature. It didn't matter though, I had no choice but to accept her challenge. I could feel my body straining against the wind and snow, my legs ready to give out, but I kept going. There was no way I would die out here. Not when I had gotten this far. "I've been thinking of only my own feelings for so long now. I was always the 'supposed' selfless one, Maro-chan. Always putting others before me, never resolving my own issues, but solving other's. I ignored the fact that while I was here, I was still only a mortal. I shouldn't have ignore myself, I guess I just snapped."

"**It's understandable. You're absolutely sure that this is for the best? The wreckage you've seen so far does not discourage your resolve?"** This is the first time I've heard Maro-chan sound skeptical.

"What difference does it make?" I laughed hollowly into the wind. "This is nothing, compared to the pain that I felt these passed few years. This at least is tolerable. Manageable even. I can't live with all of these regrets anymore. All of these 'what ifs.' It's like existing but never truly living. I want to live again. Even if I have to suffer to get to them. I will retrieve my second-family once more. Life is just not worth living without them. Even saying goodbye to them as they slept, my heart was empty."

"**What if those that which you seek are no longer among the living?" **

"They are!" I snapped at her a little too harshly, feeling vulnerable. "I can feel it. Please don't ever say that, Maro-chan. This isn't for nothing."

"**Forgive me, if you believe that's how it is, I will not say anything against it. I'm merely fascinated by your determination. It's very envious." **Her voice was barely above a whisper, with an edge of hurt. I grimaced.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell." I shouted, trying to speak over the howling wind. "I have my plan set, now I just need to put it in motion. There's not much I can do in a storm like this. I'm just going to have to wait for it to blow over. If I can ever find some shelter. . .I don't suppose you have some type of freaky X-Ray vision do you?"

"**X-Ray vision?"** Maro sounded puzzled, saying the phrase slowly with peaked curiosity.

"Nevermind. . .I'll write that off as a definite no."

"**I fear that I haven't the slightest idea of what you're talking about. I will drop you the smallest of hints though. You should keep to the west of the moon. Everything in this surrounding area is dead. Literally."**

"Everything? So you know what happened to all of these villages?" My voice sounded hopeful, even to my own ears.

"**I'm sorry Kagome, I'm afraid that I cannot reveal that to you. I'm just here for support, as I've stated previously. And as the voice before declared. You are virtually on your own now. And just so that you're aware: your lips seem to be turning blue." **Maro-chan was too calm for pointing out something so serious. My hand automatically went to my mouth. I groaned behind my palm. **"Your hands are shaking, too."**

"Obviously." I mumbled. "Anything else evident you can rub in my face?" I took a sharp detour to the left in the snow. I just hoped that if I kept wandering in the direction Maro-chan told me to go in, I would find shelter. Hypothermia was starting to kick in. I gave myself ten minutes tops, with these teeth clattering winds, and freezing moisture, maybe five. Musing I briefly thought about sprinting, but as my legs started to wobble beneath me, I decided against it. Perhaps three.

"**You have to keep going!" **I heard Maro screaming at me, but it seemed distant. My vision started to narrow. I felt my breath hitch in my throat as I struggled to reply. Nevermind, now was the appropriate time to collapse, I wasn't going to make it to three minutes.

"I'm goooo-ing.. . ." My voice sounded strange, far too drawn out and slurred to be mine. I felt myself sinking, as if I were falling into the snow. I couldn't tell. Snow surrounded me, like being lost in a tunnel with no light at the end.

"Mew."

I snapped my head up towards the familiar noise. But saw nothing. **"Please stand! Do not fall asleep, for you might not wake again!" **I tried my hardest to pinpoint the voice, but I couldn't. My head swam with distinct possibilities, but they were out of my reach. All I could manage to comprehend was that I was indeed no longer moving. I was sitting, and I had lost control of my limbs.

"Meowww."

My head lulled to the side, as I fought to maintain consciousness. I felt myself slumping over in that position. The snow was starting to bury me. I didn't feel cold however. The warmth wrapped itself around me, to the point that I felt as if I were on fire.

"Mew." I could have sworn I saw a silhouette of an animal with the most unusual glowing eyes. But I had lost the battle of will. I felt my eyes drifting closed, images dancing behind my lids. And a very coarse tongue licking at my freezing cheeks. It was warm, comforting, familiar. I tried to reach out to it, but my body had become numb. _Frozen. _I felt my heart lag, as I drifted off into the depths of my subconscious.

* * *

**Note:** A million apologies everyone! I know what I said prior to this chapter. But I have many kinks to work out. After re-reading everything and making sure it was in place, it took forever to get this out. I have to make sure everything is in order to properly unravel the story. I'm also trying to set a certain pace. Thanks for reading, and I'm tremendously sorry if this inconvenienced anyone.

Special thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially knifethrower. And the people that have been guessing the outcome all along. I truly appreciate this!

A little bit of familiarity is in store for us in the next chapter. Finally, right? I dragged it along far enough, maybe a bit too much. Expect Kagome to not be so 'alone' next chapter. As for Maro-chan. This obviously isn't her real name, and she's obviously someone that 'knows' of Kagome. She'll be in and out of Kagome's head. She won't make frequent visits, however. As the chapter stated, she is more or less a guide. She might or might not know what's happening to her friends, but she still can't reveal anything. It will be explained in later chapters. And so will the existence of Maro-chan. I hope to god this doesn't confuse anyone, because I swear after writing so many in advance, I got caught in a trap and have to rewrite a lot of things. Note that I'll never make anymore hasty promises about this story. It's far more complex than I had originally calculated. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. Any spelling errors will be edited later on to the best of my abilities. **Until next time!**


	8. Familiarity

Leaving Today.

Chapter 8.

Familiarity.

* * *

**WARNING: Implied rape.  
**

* * *

"_**M**aro-chan?" I hesitated, my temples throbbing wildly against my skin. Something stirred in me, something I couldn't quite describe. I loathed the feeling of it, as it was foreign; it didn't belong inside of me. I heard indistinguishable murmurs, trying to reach out to my ears._

"_**Kagome." **Maro-chan's voice finally broke the silence and eerie chatter.**"Can you hear me?"**_

"_Almost." I told her, the word fell from oblivion, it was as if it plummeted into space, floating about in the solar system. The echo was incredible. Never in my life have I heard such a powerful utterance. There were no eyes to see with, no hands to feel, no nose to smell with. All other senses ceased to exist entirely. All I could do was hear. "What's going on?"_

"_**We're in your mind, of course."** Her voice was nonchalant, insinuating that it was the most evident thing in the world. I could hear myself sigh._

"_If what you're saying is true, why is it so god awfully dark? Does that mean I'm in some type of vegetable state? Or was I always brain damaged?" Somewhere, somehow. I knew that I was frowning. Perhaps I could still feel after all, as a tiny tingle kept me from going insane._

_Maro-chan laughed, amused by the implication of me being brain dead. She was a sick voice, wasn't she? **"Fear not young lady. You've but merely passed out. You'll come to as soon as I've finished with you." **_

"_Why does that sound. . .sinister?" I questioned tensely. If she was morbid enough to joke about mentally disabled people, I shuddered at what she could do to me to mollify her undesirable sense of humor._

"_**I intend to do you no harm, remember?" **Though her voice was shrouded in mischief. **"I just have to warn you – one last time – before I leave." **_

"_I thought you weren't going to leave?" The panic in my tone reverberated through my mind, like a fire alarm. The voice shushed me with a rumble of disapproval, obviously startled by the offending echoes that could pass for shrieks._

"_**I was to stay with you, only because you were alone." **She paused, my mind went totally blank, the deafening silence clamped down on me, leaving me on edge and vulnerable. **"That no longer seems to be the case." **_

"_Meaning?" I drawled out, annoyed that she had stopped her explanation._

"_**In a matter of minutes, you'll understand what I say to you. For now, just be forewarned. The jewel is dangerous. You're in no condition to protect it by yourself. Remember this. More importantly, remember who it is that you trust. Never forget that."**_

"_Who it is that I trust?" I repeated, toying with the thought. "Is this a riddle or something?"_

"_**Who do you trust?" **The call faded out, equivalent to somebody blowing out a candle, as the smoke drifted off into the winds. _

_A dash of red was all I could make out in the darkness. The image burned into my mind, making me wince from the pain that it induced. The murmurs returned in full force, making it exceedingly difficult to differentiate one from the other. I managed to pull together small phrases, those in which made absolutely no coherent sense._

"_Think she's demon?"_

"_What makes you think … clothing … bag."_

"_Asako?"_

"_Never seen … before?"_

"_Mayhaps … kill."_

"_She's so young … from the … "_

"_The … needs … medicinal … heal."_

"_Shaking … blue."_

_The countless commodity of voices never departed, they rang out to me, urging me to dig deep within myself. I felt cold, so incredibly cold, I didn't want to be awake. My body – which I could finally manage to feel – wanted no part of it. Yet I could feel my ears striving, the dull thump of my heart was docile, slow. Nearly non existent. I could feel hands on me, but I couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. _

"_Can … hear me?"_

_I breathed out, trying to answer the voice, but my lungs protested stabbing at me like hundreds of knives. At that, I felt my eyes fighting to snap open. It didn't quite go as planned, as a fog of a hundred different colors clouded my vision._

* * *

"**S**he has come to, perhaps?" I saw a blurry image of a man, two subdued brown orbs gleaming down at me apprehensively. It appeared that he wasn't alone, as the blurred faces seemed to separate in one fluent motion, my eyes adjusted to the merciless rays of the sun. I tried moving my leg, and regretted it instantly. I groaned, willing the sharp sensation to leave me.

For reasons I couldn't quite grasp. I called out a name. "InuYasha?" I tried, feeling the dryness of my mouth. I licked at my lips, finally getting a clearer picture of the people surrounding me. A dozen pair of eyes penetrated my own, scrutinizing every inch of me. At this particular moment in time, their stares did nothing, nor did they hinder the ache in my bones. All I could do was stare back, trying fruitlessly to observe my surroundings without moving my neck. "Who are you?" I finally asked, when the village looking folk before me remained silent.

"It spoke." A feminine whisper caught my attention. The word 'it' made me tense my body. I could only presume that they were trying to refer to me as a demon. This wasn't a rare occasion, as many had mistook me for such, during my travels.

"I'm not a demon." I corrected her, in the most personable voice I could force out. "If I were such a creature I wouldn't be laying on my back, yeah?"

The man that was closest to me nodded his head, his auburn hair flowing over his shoulder. "Might I have your name Milady or might you be the one they call Asako?"

"Kagome. I don't know of the one they call Asako." I offered pleasantly. I hadn't any other choice, as it seemed that I was definitely at the mercy of these people. If only until I recovered. "Where am I?"

"You're in the village of Nagasaki." His voice was smooth, rolling off his tongue expertly. I cocked an eyebrow at him, wondering how someone could look and sound so perfect without being a demon themselves.

"Forgive me." I slurred out, fighting the urge to grimace. "I'm not really from around these parts. So I haven't the faintest idea of where this is. I was walking in the snow, and it seems that I had bitten off more than I could chew. All I remember is waking up here a few seconds ago."

The man tipped his head, roaming his eyes over my body, until he stopped upon my arm. Which I conceded had not been bandaged, by the way his eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "It seems you're in serious need of a healer." Though I could think of a better place to be, in the back of an ambulance, in a hospital bed, heck – I'd settle for a pharmacy at this point. I swiftly kicked those thoughts away. He let his hand hover over my shoulder before asking for permission. "Might I take a look?"

"Be my guest." I gritted out from the pain of his fingertips descending onto my upper arm. He lightly gripped my elbow, bending it upwards. The anguish tore through my body, I bit my lip to quiet the curse that made its way up my vocal chords.

"You're very lucky." It was an offhanded comment. He placed my arm back into the dirt before facing me. "If not for the demon cat, you would have died in the snow."

"Demon cat?" Curiously I shifted my eyes around to see any such feline. All that greeted me were the un-trusting eyes of the village inhabitants.

"Yes. The demon cat visits often to help us gather supplies." He gestured for a few men to aid him, so they could lift me from the ground without jarring my injuries. They didn't seem overtly thrilled with the task, as they grumbled about 'demon girl's in strange clothing.' The statement hadn't bothered me, as the irritated men still assisted me, lifting my form into the air as subtle as a breeze. The motions of being lifted and carried made my head pound, the makings of a migraine worked its way into my head. "You may stay with the children tonight. I will have someone come in to tend to your wounds."

"I really appreciate this." I breathed, when they set me down onto a cushion of freshly washed cloth. "When this is all said and done, I'll pay you in anyway necessary." I laid my head back onto the floor staring up at the man that had been so generous. "Do I get to know your name too? Or is this a one-way type deal?"

"You may call me Akeno." A halfhearted smirk lit up boyish features. Now that my sight had returned to normal, I decided that he was rather nice to look at. His brown eyes, a stark contrast to his nearly reddened hair. His kept bangs teased the tanned skin of his forehead. His lips were of reasonable shape, accented with a strong jaw. I could only surmise that he was in his mid-twenties, give or take a few years. It was hard to be efficient with age in this era, as most people appeared older than they really were. "I hope you don't mind the unorthodox accommodations. But I fear this is the only space we have left."

"You mentioned something about children?" I recalled briskly.

"Yes, we set up this shelter for orphaned children. I hope it's not a bother. I'll see to it that they're respectful." He bowed his head, the formality made the skin of my face heat up in what I assumed to be a pitiful blush.

"That's no problem." I told him, before he strode from the room with the rest of his men in tow. The set of makeshift double doors closed securely behind them, trapping me in the little space. The darkness overwhelmed me, as I was left with my own thoughts. I hadn't the appropriate information to answer all of the looming questions resting heavily in my mind. Where was InuYasha? Where were my friends? I let my eyes wander around the quaint little shelter. There was a fire pit in the middle, someone had been benevolent enough to get it going, as the flames danced across my nearly frozen flesh. I snuggled into the blankets reveling in the plush warmth they provided.

How long had it taken to get here? Who was the demon cat? Where had it taken me and why? If it picked me up in an area where the vegetation and wild life were indeed scarce, why hadn't the demon eaten me instead? A flash of recognition sent my mind in a frenzy, I felt myself trying to get up, my torso protested profusely. I let my head hit the cloth again, utterly battered from everything that had happened in such a diminutive span of time. The recognition that I had experienced quickly transformed into uncertainty.

There was only one thing I was certain of: there were people here. That little tid-bit of info gave me a tiny shred of hope. Which I would gladly take at this point. Something still bothered me though. Assuming that I was far away from InuYasha's forest, why had it taken so long to stumble across civilization? And why were these people so paranoid? Most villages I had visited were always jittery in the presence of demons, but never this severe. InuYasha and Shippou had intimidated the common people of Feudal Japan without even trying. Shippou being only a child, really had no way of harming anyone. What little fire he could produce was relatively benign. As it should be. The only imminent danger they were in around Shippou, is perhaps starving to death, from where the young fox might devise a scheme to steal some rice and fish. InuYasha mostly remained unresponsive to the people, excusing them as dimwitted and weak – even if he ended up saving them in the end.

I sighed, wound tightly in thought. However, I managed to notice a small squeak and an intake of breath. I chanced a peak at the doorway, startled to see a set of soft gray eyes staring at me as if I were a ravenous shark. The frightened posture of the child hurt me – somewhere deep. I let my eyes fall to the little hand that clutched the door frame. They had reminded me of Souta's. "Hello." My voice was purposely soft, the big set of eyes snapped out of their terrified trance, widening a fraction.

"Hello?" The child's voice was unsure, as if silently asking if I was going to place him in danger. I tilted my head up, propping it atop my bag. I flashed him a smile, as if answering his question. No, I was not dangerous. That made the child sag his stiff little form with alleviation. He let himself into the room, his small feet padding against the wood in an erratic rhythm. His eyes turned curious as he knelt at my side, inspecting the burns on my arm.

When it seemed like he was trying to say something, I helped him along being as casual as possible. "What might your name be?" He pursed his lips as if pondering the meaning of life. I bit back a chuckle at his strained expression. "Or maybe you've forgotten it?"

The boy scuffed, the noise reminded me of something – as he tried his best to puff out his chest to recover whatever dignity he could muster. "My name's Tomeo." The breath expelled from his lungs, his presence almost domineering for a child of his age. Perhaps I had been wrong before, now that I had a few seconds with him, he could have passed for Shippou. I extended a weak hand to him, trying with practiced effort to hold it steady. He took it giving it a firm shake, but not before eying it uneasily contradicting his calm facade.

"My name's Kagome." It sounded a little too animated then I initially bargained for.

"Are you a demon?" He asked innocently, making me chuckle in earnest.

"No. I'm a priestess." I admitted, dubious of whether it was wise to give out that information or not. I shrugged inwardly. What harm could it possibly do? The boy's eyes lit up, his mask evaporating from my view. He loomed over me in awe, his little mouth agape.

"No kidding?" A hint of wonder laced with his tiny voice.

"I swear." I held up my better arm in mock surrender.

"Then you can save our village!" His exclamation shocked me, as he abruptly got to his feet, his eyes sparkling with adoration. "I shall tell Headmaster Akeno!" When he turned to bound from the room, I clutched onto the material of his pants. He stopped in mid-step, his eyebrows shooting upwards in surprise. He placed questioning orbs into mine.

"Whoa, whoa. Hold on there." I felt the smile tugging at my lips. "Why does the village need saved? I don't sense any demons around here."

Tomeo raised a skeptical brow as if he were talking to a daft person. "Of course there are no demons now, but they will come. Don't you know?"

"_They_?" I said the word as if it were in a foreign language. His gawking only intensified. "Sorry, Tomeo. I'm not from around here, I don't know what you're talking about."

A crinkle in his forehead revealed a very disgruntled little boy. "It doesn't matter how far away your homeland is." His voice was firm. "You can't escape. Why don't you know?"

I blinked at him my smile disappearing. "What do you mean by that Tomeo? Can't escape from whom?" I felt nervousness overtake me, the feeling that my heart was sinking into my stomach didn't go unheeded. This time my torso did manage to rise just enough for me to place my back against the poorly crafted wall. I flinched when the pain finally caught up with me, but made no further outward movements to show my discomfort. Not when the boy already seemed discomfited by my presence.

He pinned me with a glare, his eyes suddenly narrowed into slits. "Are you dumb or something?"

The question caught me off guard. I tore my eyes away from him, feeling only somewhat offended by the comment. "Would you mind explaining it to me?"

His stupefied look raked my nerves. Why was he acting so flaky? After a moment of long and agonizing silence he finally spoke. "The man with the bleeding eyes." I let my vision trail off to a shabby window where the light was pooling out like tiny crystals of rain. I couldn't quite explain it, but it felt like I should know whom he was talking about. I came up short, shaking my head once to convey my lack of knowledge on the subject.

"You're serious?" His incredulous voice was almost amusing. He breathed out, sitting back in his prior position. "You seem to be truthful when you say you do not know."

I nodded my conformation. "I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. So why don't you tell me about this man with bleeding eyes?" Considering his age, maybe he had picked up on a myth that had frightened him? I pursed my lips together, pondering any such myth I had heard during my travels. Nevertheless, he was still honestly shaken by the topic, as his breathing became labored, his warm eyes were wide and alert.

"Foreigners." He muttered, running a hand through his bangs in frustration. "Have you not noticed that there are very few people outside this village?"

"I have noticed." I gulped, reminding myself that it was a lie. I had seen many people, just not living ones. I left out the unspoken thought so he could proceed "You're telling me you know what happened to all of those people? It seems that the village I'm from has been destroyed."

"Yours isn't the only one." His grim expression made a chill shoot up my spine. "It's every village in the area. Very few remain standing. My home was also wrecked." Tomeo's eyes narrowed, pain flashed through them speedily before hardening. "It's the man with the bleeding eyes. He is their pet."

"Pet?" The word sounded funny. "Whose pet?"

"No one is certain of who 'they' are. The bloody eyes follows their every command. Though we aren't for sure whether he's entirely unwilling, as he seems to thirst for blood." The boy found his lap to be most interesting, as he hadn't looked up even once during his story. "The blood of humans, the blood of animals, even the blood of his own kind. He drinks it like fine sake, leaving the rest of the body perfectly in tact."

Clearing my throat at the disturbing mental images I quickly cut him off recalling something I had seen once I returned from the well. "I never saw anyone drained of their blood. I just saw gashes – no ordinary gashes of course – they were large. Like some form of animal had made them."

He nodded, not at all bothered by the graphic description. "Of course he can't drink every single person he kills. He has killed thousands upon thousands. Not even a beast of his caliber could feast so much."

"I don't really understand." I bit the side of my lip. "If he drinks as you say he does, is he really a demon?" Sounded more like a really cliché vampire novel to me. I gave the wall a deadpan look. Nothing really added up, perhaps the villagers had spoken out of fear rather than naming actual facts. "I've traveled with demons before, Tomeo. The only demon I've known to drink blood was a flea demon."

He looked stunned for a moment. "You've traveled with demons?" I nodded, entirely unashamed by the confession. He shook his head as if dispelling his shock. "I know some demons can be civil, but when they're based plainly on carnal urges they will feed from the living. That's why everyone's saying the bloody eyed man is a demon. . .who has gone mad."

"Mad? Has anyone ever tried to talk to him, or coax him out of the shadows?"

"As if anyone could live through such a thing and tell about it." He gave me a bored expression, unimpressed with my curiosity. "There is only one that anyone knows of that has lived through such an ordeal. But she was still eventually killed."

"Yes, but she makes for a most interesting story." A voice inferred, making Tomeo and I thrash our heads to the direction of the soft tone.

"Headmaster Akeno." Tomeo touched his head to the floor in respect. Akeno nodded towards him, gliding across the floor he sat beside the boy before me. An affectionate pat on the boy's head made me raise a brow, but I remained quiet. "Lady Kagome does not know of the bloody eyed man."

"So it seems." Akeno's voice was flat, devoid all emotion. He ignored my eyes, opting to stare out of the window instead, his auburn mane frittering around as he did so. "There was a woman that fled into our village last summer. She was most lovely – and if you don't mind me saying so – reminded me most strikingly of you."

"Me?" I squeaked out, the heat rising to my cheeks.

"Yes. In fact, when you were brought into the village, I had mistaken you for her." At hearing that, I mentally scowled. Always being compared to someone around this era, wasn't I? I batted the bitter thoughts away, but still didn't halt the question that danced onto my tongue.

"Her name wasn't Kikyou was it?" I grumbled.

"No. If I recall correctly her name was Asako." He corrected, perplexed by my display of hostility. "Her hair was much fairer, and there was one blemish on her right cheek. That's why she was so distinctive. She begged for assistance. She had told me the bloody eyed man had kept her."

"Kept her?"

"Yes. She told me the story of her troubles." He turned to Tomeo. "Mayhaps this would be a good time for you to fetch Lady Kagome some water. We will need to prepare for the healer, who will want to dress her wounds." Tomeo nodded reluctantly before getting to his feet and bolting from the hut. The headmaster fixed his eyes upon me before he began to recollect the story he had been given.

* * *

"_**A**sako." He took his daughter into his arms clutching tightly onto her form. "I need you to go to the old cellar with your mama. Don't come out, no matter what you hear, do you understand?"_

_The gruffness of her father's tone astonished her, as he was always a gentle and peace loving man who rarely raised his voice. "But papa, won't you come with us?"_

_He shook his head, holding his daughter within arm's length. "Not this time, princess." He smiled fondly at her before kissing the side of her cheek. "We'll see each other soon though, I promise. I just need you to help your mother out while I aid the rest of the men." He began to usher both women out of the hut, and down the dirt road. After walking several feet they stopped upon a dingy looking door that projected from the ground. Her father easily swung it open, it landed onto the grass with a dull 'thud.' He directed them down a narrow passage, that reeked of musk and mold. Once they were a decent distance underground he turned to his wife, planting a chaste kiss upon her lips. He murmured something inaudible to her before glancing towards his daughter._

"_Remember what I said, Asako. you're not to leave this cellar." Asako nodded weakly, a little unsure if she could heed to that command._

_He turned to leave, flashing one last melancholy smile before disappearing from view. Asako heard a slam, and flinched. Her mama draped her arm over her waist in a gesture meant to sooth. "Don't worry dear, that was just the door." Asako breathed out in relief, but her heart remained precarious._

"_Why does papa have to go with the other men? Is something going on?" Asako inquired, feeling her mother's arm fall away from her waist. "Things have been strange lately."_

"_Have they?" Her mother smiled a little too sweetly to be convincing. "I think you're just imagining things, Sako. Your papa just needs to help the others with the chicken bandit."_

"_The chicken bandit?" Asako giggled throwing her palm over her mouth. Her mother joined in with the laughter, both of their forms shaking silently. A muffled scream brought the moment to an abrupt stop. Asako jumped, her eyes squinting in the darkness. The only light the cellar offered was a single candle illuminating the table it sat upon. "Mama?"_

"_Shh. It's okay, dear. I'm sure it's just some of the children playing about." Asako seriously doubted that it was a child as the scream was chilling, and far too deep to be that of a child. It sounded as if it had come from a grown man. She flinched thinking through all of the possibilities to make a man shriek in such a fashion. "See? It's okay now, it was only once."_

_As if on cue, the floor started to vibrate. The table shook so violently the candle fell from the table, its holder breaking into hundreds of glass shards. The fire had died out as soon as it went through the falling motion. It landed into the dirt with a hollow protest. The shaking finally stopped, but as it ceased, the screaming started. They could be heard through the cracks of the doors in dozens. Things crashing and something akin to shredding metal made Asako cling to her mother's side, both of their breathing ragged and terrified. _

"_Perhaps it's an earthquake. It's common for this season." Her mother reasoned, not sounding even a tad bit sure of herself. The girl noticed her mother's eyes clinching shut, a lone tear cascaded down her cheeks, staining her skin._

_The screaming lasted for a few excruciating minutes, the crashing noises dwindled down to insignificant taps. Feeling an ounce of relief Asako released her mother, taking a deep breath. "Papa."_

"_I'm sure he's okay." Her mother shot her a half hearted smile. "Your papa is tough, and stubborn. I'm sure any moment now he'll be here to check on us." She secured her daughter before taking shaky steps in the dark back to the narrow passage where they had been lead into. "Stay here darling. I'll wait for your papa." Asako nodded, but knew her mother couldn't see her in the dark. _

_The younger girl choose to lean against the table, which she could only grope for in the pitch blackness. Once she found it the girl eased herself onto its surface, waiting for her papa to open the cellar door. Before she could maintain composure she heard something similar to nails dragging against a wooden surface. Asako raised her feet onto the table and tucked them under her chest in a fetal position."Mama?" She whispered into the darkness._

_When she didn't receive an answer, she clutched onto the back of her knees burying her face into her lap. "Asako." Her mother's quaking breath snapped her out of her daze. She inclined her head in the direction, listening carefully. "Run away." The girl's eyes widened as she heard pounding, and her mother's scream cut through the air so quickly that it made the girl's head reel. Asako wordlessly got to her feet, running deeper and deeper into the underground shelter. The most menacing snarl she had ever heard came from somewhere over her shoulder. She whipped her head around her to find the source of such a malicious noise, but the blackness consumed her._

_A low, throaty chuckle nearly made her stumble onto the ground. As whatever was pursuing her began to taunt her. "Where will you run to?" _

"_Wh-Who are you?" Asako's asked, nearly inaudible. She collided into a wall, having no where else to run she planted her back flat against the dirt, slowly edging along the surface. Her breathing had picked up, her adrenaline was starting to kick in, making her heart work in overdrive. She vaguely felt the sweat pouring down her forehead and neck before a steel like hand gripped at her shoulder. She winced, as something razor sharp nicked her skin, making the blood spill down her arm and onto the floor. Asako knew that whatever she had been running from was right in front of her, but her vision was far too impaired to make out anything. "What do you want?" _

"_It's no fun when you don't scream." He hissed, something soft and wet surrounded the shell of her ear, making her freeze. Muscled arms encased her, like being caught into a cast iron trap. She fought to pull away until a throbbing sting bit at her left shoulder. Asako yelped, the tears dully falling from her eyelashes. The pain intensified until she felt her head swimming, her eyes becoming heavier and heavier. Before she could close them thoroughly, a crash heard from behind her attacker made whatever was in her neck retract. Regaining her senses she was greeted with light, and a morbid vision of her offender._

_The man was covered in blood from head to toe, his eyes gleaming crimson under the dim of the pale moon. Whatever catastrophe had occurred earlier had made the cellar cave in, as grass and dirt sprawled about haphazardly behind them. The gigantic beast holding her, pulled away as if she were made of fire. His blood red eyes roamed over her face, down to her feet, and slowly ascended upwards again. Asako wondered if he had really gasped, or if it was just merely imagined. The beast acted strangely, never peeling his eyes away from her._

_After what seemed like an eternity the beast took a shaky step forward, nearly losing his balance. He reached out with long, deadly claws, old blood had been caked under them. He gently grabbed her chin tilting her head up so that their eyes could meet. "Ka?" The beast no longer sounded as menacing, nor did he seem to be making any logical sense as he repeated the same syllable over and over again. The young girl tried her best to keep her cool, not wanting the beast to see her so on edge. The ripples in his body tightened, and she heard him let out a deep breath. "What is your name bitch?" The octaves in his harsh tone lowered to a demonic purr._

_Too frightened to speak, the girl merely blinked at him in a trance. When she didn't answer fast enough to his liking he gripped at her jaw a little too tightly slamming her head into the wall so hard she was seeing stars. She groaned out an answer immediately. "Asako."_

"_Do you know who I am, girl?" His breath was husky in her ear. A clawed finger reached out to touch the tiny mark on her cheek. He covered it with the pad of his calloused digit. Asako shook her head as best as she could in her predicament. "I didn't think so." After a few futile protests she found herself soaring through the air, she slammed her lids closed fighting off the sick feeling of rising and falling back down onto the earth, as the beast was running so fast that it nearly gave her whiplash. Asako was unaware of how long they had traveled like that for. She was grateful to the gods above when the beast finally stopped, purposely dropping her to the ground in a heap. "Bathe. You smell revolting." He sneered at her, towering over her cowering form like a statue. She noticed the slight tinge of white in his hair, and the unusual appendages he adorned along with it._

"_Please, can't I go home?" She begged him, bowing lowly._

"_What home?" He laughed, amusement pouring off of him in waves. "You're the luckiest bitch in the world right now."_

"_Please. . ." The girl tried again, crawling backwards into the soil._

"_I was going to tear out your throat." He said calmly, the emotions of his visage slipped away, so that only a stoic masked remained. "You're lucky." The beast informed her once more._

"_Why?" The girl asked. Not really wanting an answer, but assumed that he had wanted her to ask._

_She noticed his thick jaw tense, as a smile pulled over his lips, one fang glittering under the stars. His unruly bangs were plastered to his forehead, dangerously spilling over his ruby eyes. He took a step forward, which seemed more like a leap to Asako. He was right in front of her, dragging her up by the arm and into the freezing water of the river. The blood on his body started to wash away, revealing bronzed – nearly perfect – skin. Bunching her hair up into his fist he dunked her head underwater washing out the dirt from her hair. The beast neatly pulled her back up and she gasped for air, crying out into the night. "Please leave me alone."_

"_Shut up, bitch." He yanked at her hair cruelly bringing her up so the she was pressed against his chest. His large hands trailed over her body, his claws aimlessly shredding away her clothing. "You're lucky that you resemble her. If you hadn't I'd have fucked you besides your mum's corpse, and killed you." He murmured, descending hotly upon her lips, nipping and suckling to his heart's content. The girl flailed about, shoving away from the beast until his teeth found their way to her exposed chest. He dragged them down to one hardened nipple, she froze as he slide his tongue around it before tugging at it gently between his fingers."It's a pity." His dark voice rang into her ears. "Nobody could ever smell as good as her."_

* * *

"**Y**ou can decipher the rest for yourself." Akeno's eyes flashed with an unnamed emotion, before going completely silent. "Apparently she had reminded the beast of someone. He had used her like that for several days. Asako said the bloody eye had taken her to a cave to habituate her, and when he was off - "feeding" - as she called it. She slipped away, only to run into this village for refuge."

I frowned at the heart trembling story, wondering just whom Feudal Japan was dealing with. Some psychotic, serial killer/rapist demon? Something sounded incredibly off. "What happened to her?"

"He found her." His eyes slid closed, as if a wave of fatigue had suddenly overtaken him. When he didn't say anything further, I could only take a vivid guess and conclude that he had murdered the girl. "Did she ever figure out who the beast had been reminded of? Perhaps if we find that person, the beast will stop his rampage?"

"While he took her, he had called out a name. But she could not recall it properly. She also mentioned that the beast never used her name, no matter how many times she reminded him of it. He would be angry, with her for suggesting that she had a name at all." Akeno shook his head. "I do not believe that finding such a person would stop his havoc. For he's not alone in his endeavors. Asako mentioned two cloaked figures with overpowering auras that visited the cave that they had stayed in. They had gotten into a scuffle, and because of it, the beast was left stained in his own blood, instead of the blood of his victims. That's why the people refer to him as a pet."

"Did she mention anything particularly striking about the beast? What did he look like?" I asked him nervously. I would remember seeing such a beast, I was almost certain that we hadn't run into any such demon before.

The Headmaster shrugged his shoulders. "She said he was almost always doused in life essence, all that was mentioned was normal demon traits. Long hair, claws, fangs, and blood red eyes. That could be half of the demons in the vicinity. She did however speak of his stature. He wasn't large like the typical demons we consider beasts, but had a stature of that of a human man. Perhaps a little taller. She was inclined to tell me of how built he was. Saying this his muscles were thick, and nearly looked strained underneath his skin, as if he had put them to use on a daily basis. The sight had sickened her."

I made a noise in the back of my throat, letting my head hit the back of the wall. "I don't suppose you've heard of any of the people I'm looking for, have you?"

He tensed his shoulders but then relaxed. "Give me their names and I shall tell you. I usually don't disclose who has been through the village for safety reasons. This is more of a village people wander in for a brief stay than an actual home. A sanctuary if you will."

"Well, there's a monk. His name is Miroku, he travels with a staff and is popular with the ladies. Or at least he likes to think he is." I sighed, shaking my head at the monk's perverted ways. "There's Sango, she's a demon exterminator, who travels with a friendly demon cat named Kirara." Recognition briefly passed over his face, but he remained still, listening to my descriptions. "A fox demon named Shippou, he's only a child. He carries a bow in his hair, and is considerably sly." He shook his head, as if coming up short. "Lastly. . ." I trailed off, feeling nauseated at the words that avalanched off of my tongue. "There's a half-demon named InuYasha. Long silver hair, golden eyes?"

"I fear I haven't met such people. Though there is a demon cat that often visits this village, as I told you earlier. No one knows of the cat's name. She's the feline that brought you here." He got to his feet, stretching lazily as he did so. "She visits the elderly healer at the top of the hill. The cat often comes bearing medicinal herbs, and exotic plants, which are nearly impossible to find with the lack of vegetation and land." As he made his way to the doorway, Tomeo came shuffling back in with a pale of water, it sloshed over the sides and onto the floor making Akeno wince when the wetness hit his sandaled feet. He turned to me, appearing only slightly put out by the boy's clumsiness. "The healer shall arrive soon to greet you. I spoke of you earlier, and she said she'd aid you in anyway that was necessary."

"Thank you, Akeno." I was truly grateful as he bowed shortly before ducking out of the room. Tomeo set the bucket down beside me returning to his spot on the floor. He sat on his feet, his knees sticking out with his hands braced upon them. After gazing at me awkwardly for several moments, he banished the silence.

"You're dressed funny." His voice held no sign of amusement, he merely frowned. I snickered under my breath at his straightforward disposition.

"What if I think _you're_ dressed funny?" I remarked nonchalantly.

"I'm not the one running around with that slew of inappropriate clothing. Does it bother you that your midriff is nearly showing?" His inquiry made the retort die into my throat, almost instantly. Tomeo was a lot more mature than I had given him credit for, prior to our little bout of discussion. Appalled by the implication, I chanced a glance down at my stomach to find that the blanket had slid off, and my stomach was indeed naked for the eyes to gander at. I threw the cover over my body, casting a glare at him.

"Before I was so rudely interrupted. I was going to ask you about the healer." Before Tomeo could answer, a knock at the door intercepted him.

"She's here." He said plainly, getting onto his feet to retrieve the woman who had agreed to help me recover. If I really was as lucky as Akeno thought, then she'd have something to remove the sickening burn that crawled its way up my arm. The sensation still took my breath away, even now as it laid flaccidly at my side, it plagued each and everyone of my senses. Not to mention that the monster of an injury held me at an undeniable disadvantage. Moaning when I tried to move the charred limb, I settled for sulking against the wall, letting my stiff legs curl up so that I was sitting Indian style. I let my eyes drift closed, listening vaguely to the healer who made small chat with the boy.

"She's just in here." Tomeo whispered.

"Aye, I shall tend to her now."

I could hear footsteps approaching, with the will of a hundred men, I let my tired eyes flutter open. There was no use to succumb to slumber when the healer was going to be messing with my mutilated arm. Was there? I sought desperately to ignore that logic, my body screaming at me to sleep. Before that happened, I took a good look at the healer. There wasn't much to see, as the self proclaimed healer was wearing some type of garment that resembled a poncho. Warily I assessed that her body was hunched over, likely with age.

The unfavorable lighting from the window, obstructed my view of her eyes and face. They remained hidden inside the hood, as black and hollow as the abyss. That did nothing to ease my nerves. Not to mention there was no noticeable aura emitting from her. All people had auras, even if they were undistinguished. The form wadded over to me, almost as if they were walking in water. The healer said nothing when they perched themselves on top of one of the cushioned cloths. A wrinkled hand slithered its way towards my arm. Though, I was ambivalent as to why she had chosen my better arm over the injured one. Wasn't she suppose to be healing me? Or chanting some form of incantation? A little bit of voodoo would even suffice here.

I was too stunned to form a question when her warm hand wrapped around my fingers. She brought it into her lap. Moisture fell from her hood and onto my skin. It dropped away, as forgotten as the little room we shared. The window mimicking my thoughts, when the light of the sun dimmed, likely from the clouds that covered it. I cleared my throat, taken back by the healer's apparent tears. "Are you alright?"

"Everything is as it should be now." Her fleeting voice was far off, carrying away from me, as if it had been a figment of my imagination. Recovering from the initial shock of her actions, I felt my palm relax under her ministrations. A sickly looking concoction was brushed onto my arm, the cool dampness against my burned skin made me stir in my spot against the wall. "Why don't ye tell me. How've ye have fared over the years, child?"

The breath that I had been holding came out in a strangled whimper. Knowing fully well that I couldn't answer her in such a state, I felt the panic gripping at my insides. The name that I had urgently wanted to utter could no longer be formed. Unfathomably helpless, the feel of the powerful herb against my arm made me scream. It came out in choked sputters. There was no way to describe the anguish. Nor would there ever be an actual way for me to express the feelings I had felt the moment she removed her hood.

One glassy eye never left my face. The old wilted expression she bore was so familiar. Just the right amount of familiarity to ignite a fire in my limbs. Every nuance of my body was suddenly warm, secure. One eye chased the terror out of my veins, cleansing me. The tiniest touch of a broken smile could have very well brought me to my knees if I hadn't already been sitting. "I know it must have been quite a feat to return to this time. I know not of how ye managed it, but we've been waiting for ye, Kagome."

Feeling her arms around me in a kind, and motherly gesture, I finally found my voice. The despair leaked from my mouth as I said her name. "Kaede." Resisting the tears that sprang into my eyes was totally futile. My blurry gaze refused to stray, my mind frightened by the sheer possibility of her being an illusion. "Kaede?" I asked more frantically this time for confirmation.

"Aye."

The simple phrase had served its purpose. Sleep beckoned me with a brush of her fingers. I took her into my welcoming and opened arms.

* * *

**Note:** Lot's of original characters here. Hope you don't mind. They really have no significance in later chapters. Though I can't guarantee that they won't make any more appearances after the next. So wow. Kaede? And The Bloody Eyed man? He should be incredibly obvious. If he's not, then that's great! If he is, that's perfectly alright by me too. As he's not really meant to be all that mysterious, and will be revealed shortly. You could have probably guessed that easily, as you've all been pretty close in some of your reviews. A little bit of "sultry" content in the italics there. This is really nothing to me, just a little glimmer of things to come. I don't deem that lemon-y, or even citrus-y. Just so you're forewarned: It gets a million times worse than that. :l

I apologize for the prolonged update. I had a lot of difficulty with this chapter and trying to make it fit in with the puzzle. After re-writing it several times, I've had it! So I finally just posted, hoping to get on with life, and the story. Sorry for the inconvenience and sorry if this pain-in-the-bum-chapter isn't up to par. But for the love of everything holy, I'm tired of starting from scratch! :SCREAM:

Thanks for your reviews, and the kind messages left in my inbox. Encouragement is really helpful. Even if I feel fed up with the story, it's always surreal to hear from people who are interested in it and genuinely want to read more. Let's hug it out. Since this infuriating chapter is out of the way. I'd like to update more frequently. But just because I like it, doesn't mean I can always have it. Let's hope that I can. :)

And again: Any type of errors will either be fixed along the way, or as they're spotted. Anything else, we can just make believe isn't there. Right?


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